Kazutaka
by jennamarie
Summary: After Kyoto: Muraki is in a car accident and looses his Memory. What will happen when he meets everyones' favorite pair of Shinigami? last chapter is up.
1. Chapter 1

I am very unsure about this fic, (Li-chan says it won't work, but it keep nagging at me.)

Please oh please tell me what you think, or it will die a quick death.

The whole idea was inspired by a comment Watari made in Say Goodbye (There's my shameless plug!)

**Prologue**

The sound of rubber screeching on pavement was the first indication of the danger he was in.

He saw it coming before it hit.

'I would never have thought…'

He threw up his arms to protect his face.

'The end would be…'

Shattered glass flew around him.

'So mundane…'

There was a roar, and his world was spinning, Metal crushing in towards him, crushing him.

Red…

Black…

Bitter laughter filled his mind even as cries of pain filled his ears.

Flashing lights…

And nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

There was pain, but it was blurry and far away.

Slowly and with great care he opened his eyes.

There was light.

A large looming shape filled his vision.

"Well, it looks like our John Doe is finally awake. How are you feeling?"

He blinked, trying to bring the world into focus and around him he began to make out details. The figure that had loomed over him was a young woman in a starched white dress, her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. There was a machine beside his bed reading his vital stats, and he realized that he must have been on life support at some point.

He looked back up at the young woman, his nurse he supposed and saw that she was waiting for an answer.

"I feel alright." He said, not quite telling the truth. He felt confused, foggy. "Where am I?"

"This isJikei Hospital. You were in a bad car accident. For a while there we weren't sure you were going to pull through." She picked up a chart from the end of the bed. "But now that you've woken up I need to ask you a few questions. What's your name?"

"…" He opened his mouth to answer and drew a complete blank.

"Your name?" The nurse looked at him expectantly.

"I - I don't know!" His sense of confusion grew stronger, joined by a tingle of fear and…relief?

'Who am I? What is my name? My mother's? My father's? Where do I live? Who are my friends? What do I do? He realized he had no answer for any of these questions.

"You don't know what your name is?"

"No, didn't I have any ID on me?"

"None and any that you may have had in your car would have been completely incinerated." The nurse sighed. "I'll go get the doctor now, he'll probably want to run some tests…"

"A CAT scan, probably an MRI, to look for any shadows or lesions on the brain…If he hasn't already."

The nurse gave him a surprised look and nodded.

"I'll be right back." She told him as she left the room.

**XXX**

"Well you seem to have complete amnesia." The doctor informed him, taking a seat by the bed.

'Excellent' thought the nameless man 'I seem to be dealing with a true intellectual. Now tell me something I didn't know'

"It's rare, usually a person suffering from amnesia only experiences partial amnesia. What's stranger is that we've found no sign of head trauma. All of your tests came back negative."

"So you believe that this may be psychosomatic?" The nameless man asked.

"Possibly," The doctor stated, giving his patient an odd look. "It could be caused by stress, triggered the accident."

"Are you planning to remand me over for psychiatric examination?"

"Not as of yet." The doctor looked over his notes. "You still require care, and it is possible that your amnesia could clear up on its own."

'Of course,' the nameless man thought. 'Or it could be permanent.'

"Do you have any medical training?" The doctor questioned suddenly.

He opened his mouth to reply in the negative when he realized he did. He knew the workings of the human body, he knew how to perform cardiovascular surgery, he knew genetics and cloning theories. He knew of various medical drugs, their uses and how to administer them. He realized the knowledge was there.

But he had no memory of ever using it.

**XXX**

Kurosaki Hisoka followed a middle aged woman down sterile hallway, thinking how much he hated hospitals and under cover assignments.

Over the past several weeks there had been a string of deaths and the souls had failed to appear in Meifu. After a week of investigating, the only common link that Hisoka and his partner Tsuzuki Asato had been able to find was that all the deceased had spent time in intensive care at JikeiHospital prior to their deaths.

So here he was posing as a student volunteer, getting instructions from the head nurse on the duties that he was being assigned. Mostly delivering meals, changing sheets, cleaning up, and all the fun stuff.

But it wasn't the work that bothered him so much. It was the deluge of emotions that came at him from every room, pounding against his mental shields continuously. Anger, fear, hope, misery, sorrow, it was all so strong it had practically permeated into the walls of the building.

Then there were the memories of his own time in the hospital. The three years he had spent in pain, alone and unwanted, until he had been dragged into death.

It was safe to say that he _really_ hated hospitals.

"And this is where we store the clean linen…"

Hisoka looked up to see the nurse gesture at a closed door marked 'supplies'. He had been so wrapped up in his private thoughts that he had forgotten what he was doing. Giving himself a mental shake, he focused his attention on what the nurse was telling him.

It was during a short lecture on the importance of washing your hands often that something caught Hisoka's attention, a niggling feeling, something almost familiar, but he couldn't place it. He looked back at the door they had just passed, it was open just, a crack, but he couldn't see inside.

"Excuse me, but who's in there?"

The nurse looked back. "Oh, that's our resident John Doe. He was in a car accident and lost his memory. He seems to be a nice man." She smiled. "There's some speculation that he may have been a doctor." Turning once again the nurse headed down the hallway gesturing for Hisoka to follow her. "Come on, I'll show you the staff room."

Hisoka followed her. That odd feeling was still there, but he shrugged it off. There was work to do.

**XXX**

The nameless man peered through the crack in the door, his gazed locked on the young blonde. There was something, but what?

He had heard people in the hallway, a woman's voice droning on about nothing important, but he had felt an almost physical urge to go and look.

Cracking the door open he had peeked out and saw the pair pass by, his attention focused immediately on the teenager trailing behind the nurse.

Something about the boy fascinated him and he continued to stare until he was gone from sight. He never looked back, but the man wished he had. He wanted to see the boy's eyes, somehow he was sure that they were a brilliant piercing green.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

Tsuzuki Asato sat in the cafeteria of Jikei Hospital waiting for his partner to join him. He was not happy with this assignment, or Hisoka's role, he knew how hospitals affected the younger Shinigami. He picked idly at the piece of apple pie in front of him, looking up expectantly every time someone entered the room, only to look away in disappointment when it failed to be the expected figure.

"Hi! Can I sit here?" A young nurse asked, gesturing to one of the empty seats near him.

Tsuzuki offered her a sunny smile. "Sure, go ahead."

She set her tray down on the table. "Thanks." Sitting, she started eating quickly.

Tsuzuki resumed his watch on the door. How long did a tour take anyway?

"You're waiting for someone?" The young nurse asked lingering over the last few bites of her meal.

"Um, yeah, a friend of mine."

"Is he a patient here?"

"No, a volunteer. Today was his first day, mine too actually."

"Oh, you're working here?" She held out her hand. "My name's Hontura Miya. I work in the pediatric ward. What do you do?"

"I'm Tsuzuki Asato, I work here in the cafeteria."

The young woman looked around in amazement. She could have sworn she heard ominous music at that statement, but she smiled warmly. "Then I guess I'll see you around." She stood picking up her now empty tray and went to return to her shift.

"Who was that?"

Tsuzuki whipped around in surprise to face his empathic partner who had somehow entered the cafeteria without him noticing. "Hisoka! Hey, how'd it go?"

Hisoka shrugged. "About what you'd expect."

Unfortunately what Tsuzuki expected was nothing good.

"It wasn't that bad." Hisoka said picking up on his partner's mood.

Tsuzuki offered a wan smile. "I just wish there was another way to do this."

The corners of Hisoka's mouth rose fractionally. "You know as well as I do that this is the quickest and easiest way to investigate this case. Besides, I'd be more worried about you working around food than anything I might have to deal with."

"I won't eat it all." Tsuzuki said sullenly.

"I wasn't worried about you eating it, I was more worried about you cooking it." The grin finally appeared on Hisoka's face. "People come to a hospital to get better!"

Tsuzuki scowled at his partner, but inwardly he was pleased and warmed to see a smile on that normally neutral face. "So, did you feel anything unusual on your tour? Anything that could help us with our case?"

Hisoka nodded. "There are a couple of places here that we should check out. In one corridor of the ICU there seems to be a feeling of concentrated malice, and I'm almost sure that that has something to do with the missing souls, but there are another couple of places where things seem a little off. And there was that one room where the John Doe was…"

"A John Doe?"

"Um hum. It was a strange feeling, I still can't place it…" Hisoka looked somewhat disturbed.

That disturbed Tsuzuki. "Maybe you should stay away from the John Doe then. Unless you think he might have something to do with the case."

Hisoka shook his head. "No, I'm almost certain he doesn't, but until we have more information, we really can't rule anything out." He grimaced slightly.

Tsuzuki noticed the subtle expression, it was an indication that the empath was suffering from a headache. "Let's go back to the hotel. We can get some sleep and come back tomorrow."

Hisoka flashed a grateful look at the older man. "Okay. Are you going to finish that?" He pointed to the remains of the apple pie that Tsuzuki had been poking with his fork.

Tsuzuki looked down at his plate, almost surprised to see that it was still there. "Nah!" He picked up the plate and emptied it into the trash. Going back to the table he waited for Hisoka to get to his feet.

"You not finishing dessert? Are you feeling alright?" Hisoka asked.

"It's okay." Tsuzuki reassured him. "Besides, I can have more tomorrow, since I'm working here it's free!" Tsuzuki sounded absolutely thrilled with that fact.

"Now I see why Tatsumi has you working in the cafeteria." Hisoka said dryly, "It was to save on your food expenses."

Tsuzuki just laughed as the pair left the building.

**XXX**

The nameless man sat in a chair beside the window looking out at life passing by below him. He'd only been conscious for a few days, but already he found himself growing board of his little room, and a sense of restlessness grew in him. He was quickly coming to the opinion that he was not the type of person who enjoyed being idle.

Below him he saw two men leaving the hospital. He immediately recognized the blonde head of the boy he'd seen earlier, and once again felt the almost physical draw towards him. The other man had dark, chocolate colored hair, and the nameless man jerked back from the window involuntarily, a riot of emotions running through his mind. He felt a phantom pain in his side, and seemed as if the air in the room had inexplicably shot up to an overwhelming temperature.

Breathing heavily he leaned forward, peeking out the window again. Below him, the darker head leaned toward the blonde one, and the blonde looked up. The nameless man had his first view of jade green eyes as the boy looked up at his companion.

The nameless man leaned back into his chair. For these two to have as strong an effect on him as they were having, he must have known them. Maybe they could tell him who he was. An unexpected pang of regret ran through him at that thought. He wanted to know who he was didn't he? Suddenly he wasn't so sure.

Getting up from the chair, he paced the room, feeling small aches and pains from his still healing body. He felt confused, angry, hopeful, even frightened, and he couldn't figure out where all these feelings were coming from.

For some reason he was certain that that pair could give him the answers.

Somewhere deep down inside he hoped he would not see them again.

**XXX**

The next morning dawned bright and clear and found Tsuzuki and Hisoka on their way back to the hospital.

"Why'd we have to get there so early?" Tsuzuki whined, blurry eyed.

"Because breakfast is served in less than an hour you are supposed to be there to help serve it." Hisoka pushed against his partners' back, trying to speed the man up. "C'mon Tsuzuki, we really should have been there by now."

Tsuzuki yawned and stretched his arms out wide. "We have time."

"No we don't." Hisoka replied. "Do you want to be the one to tell Tatsumi you got fired after one day?"

The thought of the secretary's wrath was enough to get Tsuzuki moving a quicker pace, and the pair made it to the hospital with a few minutes to spare. Tsuzuki hurried off to the cafeteria while Hisoka headed to the staff room to receive his instructions for the morning.

"Ohyio Kurosaki-kun." The head nurse greeted him as he entered the room. "Are you ready for your first day?"

Hisoka nodded.

"Alright then. To start off with you'll be delivering breakfasts to the rooms. You can collect a cart at the cafeteria, each cart has a list. You deliver the trays to the rooms on your list, and then return the cart to the cafeteria. If there are any carts remaining when you get there, please do another run. After that, come back and see me. We'll collect the trays later."

"Aa." Hisoka moved to leave the room.

"And Kurosaki-kun,"

Hisoka turned back.

"Don't forget to smile. You have no idea how happy a simple smile can make some of these people."

Hisoka blushed, "I will." He left the room and headed back to the cafeteria.

Tsuzuki waved happily at him from where he was serving pancakes as Hisoka collected his cart and headed off checking his list.

He dropped off his first two trays with no problems, remembering to smile, exchanging some words with an elderly lady out for a stroll through the hallways.

The third room on his list was the John Doe.

Hisoka pulled the tray off the cart and knocked on the door of the room. "Breakfast!" He called out as he pushed the door open with his foot.

He walked into the room and headed for the bed, but the bed was empty. He looked around for the John Doe. He heard water running in the bathroom and moved to place the tray on a bedside table.

He straightened as he heard the door open.

The nameless man walked into the room.

"Muraki."

Hisoka's world went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

A big thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I'm sad to say I still have no idea where this fic is going, but it seems to be going pretty good without my help!

**Chapter 3**

"Muraki."

The nameless man watched the boy crumple to the floor. Shock held him still for just a moment, and then he rushed to the boys' side.

Placing two fingers to the boy's throat he felt his pulse. After a moment the nameless man let out a sigh of relief. The boy was alright, he had just fainted.

What had the boy said? Muraki? The name meant nothing to him, it didn't stir any reaction in him at all. But the boy did.

He gently brushed strands of blonde hair back from the pale face. Gingerly, he lifted the boy in his arms, he was so light!

He carried the boy across the room and placed him on the bed. Studying the elven features, he was surprised by a feeling of possessiveness that overcame him.

Sighing once again, this time with amusement, he pressed the call button next to his bed.

**XXX**

"Ohyio Tsuzuki-san!"

Tsuzuki looked up, and for a moment searched his memory for the name of the young nurse he had met the day before. "Ohyio…" It clicked. "Hontura-san."

"I hope you're having a good day. " She smiled at him. "Apparently it's going to be one of those days. I heard that one of the student volunteers on the second floor fainted."

"Nani?" He asked, concerned.

Miya laughed softly. "Probably someone who just skipped breakfast. The schedule here tends to be rather hectic, so it happens every once in a while."

Tsuzuki nodded in agreement, but he rushed through his duties and hurried out of the cafeteria as soon as he was able, heading for the second floor. He was pretty sure he knew who fainted.

Reaching the second floor, Tsuzuki grabbed hold of the first nurse that he ran into. "I'm here about the volunteer who fainted."

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun,"

Tsuzuki flinched. He had hoped he was wrong.

"He's over in that room. The nurse pointed down and across the hall. "He's alright, the doctor will probably send him home after he checks him over."

Tsuzuki nodded his thanks and headed down the hallway.

**XXX**

Green eyes blinked and opened.

He was in a hospital bed.

For a moment past and present blurred together in his mind and he bolted upright with a cry.

"Are you alright bouya?" Asked a voice that he never wanted to hear again.

Hisoka turned his head and looked at the man who had carved a curse into his skin and had finally killed him.

But it wasn't. This man looked like Muraki, but Hisoka couldn't feel the deep coldness, the darkness that he always felt when Muraki was around. All he felt from this man was a gentle kind of concern.

"Muraki?"

The nameless man shrugged.

"Do you know him?" Another voice asked, and Hisoka started. He had been so focused on this man who looked like the evil doctor that he hadn't noticed the other presence in the room.

"I thought I did, but I'm not sure…"

The nameless man ran his hand through his hair and for a second Hisoka could see his artificial eye, hidden under the drape of hair.

'It's him! It's really him!' He thought to himself. 'But why does he feel so different?'

"Who do you think he is?" The doctor asked quietly.

"Muraki Kazutaka." Hisoka answered promptly.

The doctor looked over at the nameless man questioningly.

The man shrugged again. "It doesn't ring any bells for me." Then he smiled softly at Hisoka. "But you do bouya. I'm sure that I've met you somewhere before."

Hisoka shuttered, and then began to ease his way out of the bed, keeping his eyes on Muraki. As if sure that he would pounce if not watched.

The man frowned slightly at the way the boy was acting. He seemed to be almost afraid of him. Why was he so nervous?

The door suddenly burst open and another man flew inside. "Hisoka?"

The nameless man looked up at the intruder and felt his pulse race.

Violet eyes.

The air constricted in his lungs, he couldn't draw a breath. It was too hot in the small room.

The violet eyes saw him and widened. "Muraki!" Hissed an angry, too familiar voice.

There was a thump as he backed his chair into the wall.

He turned his head. Green eyes were focused on him, watching his every move. He could hide in those eyes.

He didn't want to remember.

He let his own eyes slide shut.

He was falling forward.

He felt hands catch him.

Then nothing.

**XXX**

Tsuzuki watched in astonishment as Hisoka caught Muraki's sagging form, and lowered him to the ground.

"What the hell is going on here?" He demanded.

Hisoka looked up but the doctor spoke before he could offer an explanation.

"Do you know that man?"

"Of course, He's Muraki Kazutaka." Tsuzuki told him.

"What can you tell me about him?"

"He works at a hospital in Tokyo…" Tsuzuki began.

"So he is a doctor."

"Well yes…"

"We suspected as much. Does he have any family?"

"Not that I know of, but I don't know him all that well…"

"Do you know anyone who could tell me more about him?"

"Um, I don't think so…"

"I do." Hisoka interjected.

"Who?" The doctor pounced on him.

"Mibu Oriya. He owns a restaurant in Kyoto, the Kokakuro. He probably knows more about Muraki than anyone else."

"Why do you want to know?" Tsuzuki asked the doctor.

The doctor turned back to him, "Well we've been trying to find out who he is for over a week."

"Tsuzuki, he's the John Doe." Hisoka told him.

**XXX**

"Are you really alright?" Tsuzuki asked him for what had to be the thousandth time.

Hisoka sighed. "Yes. I'm perfectly fine, now quit asking already!"

The pair were back at the hotel room they were sharing. Hisoka sat on his bed, a book open in his lap that he was currently ignoring in favor of watching his partner pace the room.

"I don't like it, I didn't like this case to start with, and now Muraki's involved.

"But he's not." Hisoka said, putting the book aside and moving to the edge of the bed. "He's there as a patient. He was in a car accident and doesn't remember who he is or what he's done. It's like he's someone else entirely. He's not the Muraki we knew."

Tsuzuki scowled. "He recognized you, and he recognized me. The Muraki we knew is still there, somewhere."

"Alright." Hisoka conceded, "But we still need to finish this case. We should check out that corridor in the ICU that I told you about. We need to find out what's been keeping stopping souls from arriving in Meifu."

Tsuzuki gave him a look that he met steadily. "And I don't think Muraki's involved."

Tsuzuki sighed. "Okay, so let's go back tonight and check out that corridor. If you're right and Muraki's not part of this case, then hopefully we can figure it out quickly and not have to see him again."

Hisoka nodded in agreement.

In the blink of an eye, Tsuzuki switched moods "Can we go get some lunch now? I'm really hungry!"

It was Hisoka's turn to sigh. "Fine, whatever."

"Great! I know a little place…"


	5. Chapter 5

This is a very short chapter. Sorry!

**Chapter 4**

Muraki Kazutaka.

He ran over the name in his mind, again and again, but felt nothing. No recognition, no stir of memories, no sense of self associated with the words.

But the hospital staff accepted the name, and were now addressing him by it. For now he would answer to it.

Kurosaki Hisoka

Now that name caused a reaction within him.

He had woken up to find himself alone in his room, and had experienced a feeling of loss realizing that the green eyed boy had disappeared, as well as the violet eyed man.

When the doctor had come back sometime later, he had immediately questioned him about the pair. When he had heard the boy's name, a wave of possessiveness had swept over him once again. Somehow, he felt as if the boy belonged to him. A slight smile touched his lips as he remembered laying the slender figure on the bed.

The violet eyed man was another matter.

Tsuzuki Asato.

That name also stirred a reaction in him, but he could not decipher all the feeling that rose in him upon hearing the man's name.

There was also his reaction every time he saw the man. Something traumatic must have occurred involving the two of them, it was the only way he could explain it, the feeling of panic that engulfed him whenever he saw the other man, the suffocating heat. But what could have happened that was so powerful that it affected him now, even with no memories?

The obvious solution was to stay away from the man.

But he still wanted to see the boy, and it seemed that where the boy went the man would follow. Idly he wondered what the relationship was between the two of them.

He sighed and shook his head at his musings. It really wasn't his business what was between the pair. The possessive feelings he felt for the boy probably had something to do with the fact that the boy was the first thing that had caused him to feel anything beyond the blank past in his mind.

He was also disturbed by the uneasiness and…fear that the boy seemed to experience in his presence. Why was he afraid?

It wasn't as if he would do anything to hurt him…

**XXX**

It was well past midnight when Tsuzuki and Hisoka returned to Jikei Hospital.

Traveling in their incorporeal forms, they traversed the silent hallways, approaching the ICU.

Moving with caution, Hisoka led the way, with Tsuzuki so close behind that he was almost plastered to the younger man's back. Taking reassurance from his partner's presence, Hisoka resolutely tracked the same feeing of malice that he had felt the first time he had entered the ICU.

They reached the hallway where the negative feelings were emanating from, and Tsuzuki looked down its length. The light buzzed and flickered, shadows moved and twisted.

"There is definitely something here." Tsuzuki, master of stating the obvious, said.

Hisoka rolled his eyes and set foot in the corridor, but Tsuzuki raised his arm, blocking his way.

"Wait." Tsuzuki pulled a piece of paper from his coat, folded it, and with a muttered spell, held one of his messenger birds in his hand. He sent it off down the hallway.

The pair watched in silence until the bird reached the middle of the hall, where it was abruptly ripped to shreds.

"Come out where we can see you!" Tsuzuki demanded.

With a soft pop the light went out and the shadows converged in the centre of the hallway, gathering form and mass. Long arms terminating in sharp claws reached out towards them.

"Shinigami." The creature hissed.

Hisoka stumbled backwards, clutching his head in his hands. This thing felt as if it were made from solid emotions, every negative you could imagine given mass and solidity. The pressure of the thing against Hisoka's mental defenses was threatening to tear him apart.

Tsuzuki noticed he partner's distress and moved to stand in front of him, effectively shielding him from the creature. He pulled a fuda from his coat and held it defensively. "What are you?" He asked.

The creature struck out, hissing in anger when is claws hit the barrier that Tsuzuki had raised.

The creature tried a new tactic, envelopingthem in its darkness. The pair were safe within the barrier, but they were completely surrounded.

Hisoka moaned in pain. Unable to keep his balance, he fell to his knees. 'The source,' he thought to himself, 'We have to find the source of this!' But he couldn't force the words out, the negative feeling that made the creature were all around him, battering at his mind.

Tsuzuki shot a worried glance at his partner, as he pulled out a second fuda held it above him, releasing a burst of energy and the creature flew apart.

Hisoka breathed an audible sigh of relief and tried to regain his feet, but sank back down before he succeeded.

The shadows had once again converged, and the creature once again moved to attack. Tsuzuki dodged the sharp claws that struck at him, but a whip like appendage caught him in the back, throwing him into the wall with amazing force. Tsuzuki fell to the ground, unconscious.

The creature moved on towards Hisoka, who lay on the ground, unmoving.

He was lying on the ground drowning under waves of pain and emotion, and the creature was reaching out towards him.

'Gods! Don't let it touch me!' The thought screamed through Hisoka's head.

There was a flash of red light and Hisoka passed out.

**XXX**

It started as a small feeling at the edge of his senses, but soon he could feel the physical draw that told him that the boy was somewhere nearby.

Without thinking about it he got out of bed and left his room, following the pull.

When he saw the pair ahead of him, he slowed, and then stopped, staying out of sight. He watched the ensuing fight between Tsuzuki and the dark figure, and winced as the violet eyed man hit the wall and fell to the ground. The back of his head was crushed. He must be dead, nobody could survive a blow like that.

But the boy was still alive, and the dark figure was advancing on him.

The same feeling of possessiveness ran through him and he stepped out to stand protectively over the boy.

'Mine!' The thought ripped through him.

He felt a gathering of energy inside of himself and he reached out and threw it at the attacking figure.

The creature, already weakened by Tsuzuki's first blast, once again flew apart, and this time the shadows sank into nothingness. Blinking in surprise at his own actions, the man looked down at his own hands. How did he do that?

He decided it didn't matter at the moment, there were more important things. Reaching down the man once again lifted the unconscious youth into his arms. He looked over to where the violet man lay and felt a pang of regret, but there was nothing he could do for him.

Holding the boy tightly to him, he headed back to his room.

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Just an FYI. There really is a Jikei Hospital in Japan. It's in Kumamoto in the Kyshu region, hence Tsuzuki and Hisoka being on a case there. See! I do accually do some research on my stories!


	6. Chapter 6

-1

**Chapter 5**

Tsuzuki opened his eyes to an empty hallway and a blinding headache. He stumbled to his feet, willing his mind to clear so he could figure out exactly what happened. He took a few steps forward and stopped as a wave of dizziness threatened to bring him to his knees.

Like Hisoka had been.

Suddenly he looked around, fighting a growing sense of panic as the realization set in. He was alone.

The last thing that he could remember he had been fighting the creature, and then the wall…

Had that thing hurt Hisoka? Where was he?

Tsuzuki gathered up all his energy to transport to Meifu. He need help to find his partner.

He prayed that Hisoka was okay.

**XXX**

The man now answering to the name Muraki Kazutaka looked down at his unconscious charge.

He knew he couldn't keep the boy here, and he couldn't explain to the hospital staff how he'd come to be there. He ran his fingertips idly down the boy's pale cheek as he considered his options.

A few minutes before six o'clock he went down to the nurses' station.

"I'd like to discharge myself."

The nurse on duty looked up at him in shock. "I'm afraid you can't do that, at least not until the doctor comes in and says it's alright."

He gave her his most charming smile and could practically see her melt. "I am a doctor, and there is nothing physically wrong with me. Now that we know who I am there's no reason for me to stay here and take up space, I simply wish to go home." When the nurse looked like she would protest again he went on. "I will of course return so the doctor can check me over if he wishes." Another warm smile.

The nurse gave in, and in less than ten minutes he had his release papers in his hands.

Returning to his room he collected his wallet, (he may not have had ID on him, but he had had money.) and wrapped the boy in a blanket and prepared to leave the room.

He waited at the door of his room until the nurse left the desk, then headed for the elevators with his precious burden in his arms.

He left the hospital at an easy pace, looking unconcerned and no one questioned him. Outside he was able to hail a taxi fairly quickly. After directing the driver to take them to a nice hotel, he leaned back in his seat, the boy settled in his lap.

"Is he okay buddy?" The taxi driver asked looking uncomfortably over the seat.

"Yes, he's just very tired, he was up most of the night." He told the man.

The driver seemed to accept this and they drove in silence until they reached their destination.

**XXX**

"Tsuzuki came back alone?" Tatsumi asked the blond man standing in front of his desk. "Where is he now?"

"In the infirmary, asleep." Watari told him. "Thank the gods I was in my lab late last night. He came in around two o'clock in the morning barley coherent."

"Did he say anything about Kurosaki-kun?'

"No, not really. He mentioned his name, but he wasn't making sense. Tsuzuki took a bad blow to the head, and he needs to heal. I just hope he can tell us what happened to Bon when he wakes up."

Tatsumi stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Watari asked hurrying after him.

"I'm going to inform Kanoe about the situation, and then I'm going to look over their case reports. If I can find out where they were investigating I will go to Chiju and see if I can find Kurosaki-kun. I don't believe that Tsuzuki would have left him behind willingly."

"I'm going with you." Watari announced.

"No. You need to be here for Tsuzuki right now. I'll take Gushoshin with me. When Tsuzuki wakes up get him to tell you everything he can, then join us."

Watari nodded, surrendering to Tatsumi's logic.

"Alright, I'm going back to the infirmary, you'll let me know when you leave?"

Tatsumi nodded, and the two men went their separate ways.

**XXX**

He sat in a comfortable, rather spacious hotel room, watching the still form lying in the bed.

The fact that Hisoka had not yet stirred or awakened was disturbing, but he found no signs that there was anything wrong with the youth.

Sighing he rose to his feet. He had to go back to the hospital and let the doctor check him over in order to obtain the approval for his release, if only belatedly. He frowned in annoyance. He didn't want to leave the boy, he particularly didn't want him to wake up alone, but he didn't want the doctor looking for him either.

He hoped that Hisoka would stay asleep until his return.

Looking back only once, he left the room, locking the door behind him.

In the lobby he requested a taxi to take him back to Jikei Hospital.

He had barley walked into the hospital when he heard a voice call out.

"Muraki!"

It took a moment before he realized that he was the one being called. He turned and saw a tall slender man with long brown hair bound at the nape of his neck with a red ribbon approaching him. He was wearing jeans and a sweater, and he couldn't help thinking how out of place the casual clothing looked on the man.

The man came to a stop in front of him. "The hospital called me, and I came as soon as I could…"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The man looked shocked. "Muraki?"

"If you'll excuse me, I have to see the doctor." He turned and walked away from the man, but the man followed him.

"They told me that you had amnesia of course, but I didn't believe it. Muraki, wait!"

He turned back to the man.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mibu Oryia." He bowed formally. "We have been friends for a long time, since we were both teenagers."

He eyed Oriya carefully, but there was no spark of recognition for the man. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember."

"Do you remember anything? Your family, your research? "

He slowly shook his head. "No, nothing." He turned and continued down the hallway. Behind him he heard Oryia's voice, full of irony.

"This may be the best thing that's ever happened to you."

**XXX**

Tatsumi had been about to leave the hospital with Gushoshin in tow feeling discouraged, he had not found any trace of his missing co-worker, when he heard a voice call out a familiar name.

"Muraki!"

Tatsumi whirled around to see the silver haired doctor crossing the lobby, followed by someone he remembered, and the name came to him, Oryia.

Gushoshin, not expecting Tatsumi's sudden stop, bumped into his back. "Tatsumi-san? What…"

Tatsumi shushed his companion, his thoughts racing. One injured Tsuzuki, a missing Kurosaki and Muraki just happened to be there? Not bloody likely.

"Gushoshin, go back to Enma-cho and tell Watari that Muraki turned up at the hospital. I'm going to keep an eye on him."

Gushoshin nodded. "Be careful Tatsumi-san, and let us know right away if you find Hisoka-san."

Tatsumi nodded in return and watched Gushoshin leave. Then he turned to follow after his quarry.

**XXX**

Tsuzuki opened his eyes, his head throbbed and the pain made his eyes tear. He blinked to clear his vision, and painstakingly sat up.

The sound of approaching footsteps thundered in his ears.

"Tsuzuki, are you alright?" Watari's worried voice carried over the throbbing.

"Head…hurts. Watari?'

Watari pressed a glass into his hand. "Drink this."

"Is Hisoka here?"

Watari looked at Tsuzuki for a long moment, trying to keep the worry his words cause from showing on his face. "No Tsuzuki, Bon's not here, we were hoping you'd be able to tell us where he was." He said softly.

Mounting fear showed clearly in the Amethyst eyes, and Tsuzuki started pulling back the covers, intent on getting out of the bed.

"Tsuzuki! Stop!" Watari tried to push his friend back to the bed. "You were hurt, and you still need to rest so you can finish healing. Tatsumi's already gone to look for Bon, and we will find him."

"You don't understand, that thing was attacking us when I was knocked out. Hisoka was defenseless, who knows what that thing might have done to him. When I woke up he was gone!" Tsuzuki struggled against Watari. "He might be hurt, he might be…" Tsuzuki stopped, unable to carry the thought through to its conclusion.

"Watari-san!"

Watari looked away from Tsuzuki as Gushoshin flew into the room.

"Did Tatsumi find anything?" Watari asked with rising hope.

Tsuzuki took advantage of his momentary distraction to get out of the bed, but dizziness prevented him from getting to his feet.

"We saw Muraki at the hospital, and Tatsumi decided to follow him." Gushoshin informed them. "Are you feeling okay Tsuzuki?"

Tsuzuki was shaking his head. "Muraki is a patient at the hospital, he was in a car accident. He lost his memory."

Gushoshin looked at him. "But he came in from outside, he's not a patient!"

Tsuzuki looked up at Gushoshin. "I was in his hospital room after Hisoka fainted, and his doctor was there. He was a patient."

"Bon fainted?" Watari asked.

"If he was a patient, he's not now." Gushoshin told Tsuzuki.

"Maybe they released him." Tsuzuki suggested.

"The hospital releases Muraki as a patient and at the same time Hisoka-san disappears? That seem very suspicious to me." Said Gushoshin.

"But he lost his memory…" Tsuzuki's voice trailed off as he remembered Muraki's reaction to both him and his partner. "Let's go." Tsuzuki pushed off of the bed and headed unsteadily to the door of the infirmary.

Watari grabbed hold of his arm. "You need to rest for a while first. Tatsumi is following Muraki, so Muraki won't get a chance to hurt Bon if he has him. We can join him in a few hours."

"But Watari…" Tsuzuki's worry for his young partner was almost palatable.

Watari steeled himself against giving in. "Rest, let yourself finish healing, and then we'll go."


	7. Chapter 7

I still have no idea where this story is going, and please let me know if I'm getting OOC.

And a huge thank you to everyone who is still reading this!

**Chapter 6**

After visiting the doctor, the release approved, Oriya led Muraki to his car.

"Would you like me to take you home?"

"Thank you, but no. I've rented a hotel room nearby, and I need to go back there. Do you think you could take me somewhere where I could get some clothes?"

"I brought you some things I thought you would need, there's a suitcase in the back seat." Oriya told him.

"I appreciate that, but there are some other things that I'll need."

"Like what?" Oriya asked giving the other man an odd look.

For some reason he found himself reluctant to tell Oriya about the boy, or the violet eyed man and the events of the night before. But he still felt comfortable in Oriya's presence, so he asked again. "Can we stop?"

Oriya looked at him for a long moment, and then nodded. "Alright."

A short while later Oriya pulled up in front of a men's clothing store. Muraki got out of the car. "Are you going to wait here?" He asked Oriya, who showed no sign of moving.

"Are you going to be long?"

"No, I shouldn't be to long."

"Then I'll wait."

Muraki nodded and headed into the store and Oriya watched through the large display window as he spoke to a clerk, who nodded and led him farther into the store.

Oriya let his gaze travel idly over the people passing by when he noticed a man leaning against a wall not to far away. He sat up straight, and stared at the man. It had been a long time, and he'd only met him once, but he recognized him. What was the Shinigami doing here?

Oriya turned off the car and got out, approaching the Shinigami, who looked mildly surprised, but otherwise unfazed.

"May I ask what your business is here?" Oriya asked the blue eyed man.

Tatsumi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "One of our co-workers disappeared from Jikei Hospital yesterday night, and another was injured."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but you can't think that Muraki had anything to do with what happened to them."

"And why not?"

"Because he has amnesia, so even if he remembered your friends, he would have no reason to harm them."

Tatsumi looked skeptical. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."

Oriya shrugged "As you will." And turned away. He went into the clothing store to find Muraki. He wanted to get them as far away from the Shinigami as possible. If Muraki had once again gotten himself involved with them…

Oriya spent several minutes searching the store before he was approached by a clerk.

"Can I help you sir?"

"Thank you, yes. I'm looking for my friend, he has silver hair and…"

"Oh. He left about ten minutes ago."

"He did?" Oriya was shocked.

The clerk nodded.

Oriya went back out to the car. The suitcase was gone from the backseat.

He started the car, then sat back and let it idle. The Shinigami was still leaning against the wall, let him wait and watch for Muraki to come out. He may as well give Muraki as much of a head start as he could.

**XXX**

Down the street, just out of sight, he eyed the stranger warily. He had seen Oryia leave the car and speak to the man through the stores large front window. He didn't know who the man was, but he sensed that he was a threat, and decided it would be best to avoid him. Unfortunately, that meant that he could not rejoin Oriya. He had asked the clerk to direct him to a rear exit. He hoped that the man who said he was his friend would understand. Picking up the suitcase, and a large shopping bag, he walked around a corner and hailed a taxi to take him back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, he found himself rushing to his room, and letting himself inside and dropping his bags, hurried to check on the boy. Hisoka was still asleep, and there were no signs that he had woken up at all.

He let out a sigh of relief. Stepping back to the door, he retrieved the shopping bag and the suitcase and returned to the chair he had been sitting in earlier that morning. Setting the shopping bag by the bed, he opened the suitcase.

Inside there was a white suit, a dove grey shirt, a tie, some toiletries and a folder. Pulling out the folder he flipped it open to find a small picture of himself looking back at him.

A driver's license.

He picked it up and read the name.

Muraki Kazutaka.

He put it back and checked the rest of the files contents. A bank statement, (apparently money wasn't something he needed to be concerned about) a bank card, two credit cards, an address book, other assorted identification, and a keying with three keys on it. The keys were labeled home, office and car.

He smirked to himself. The key labeled car was probably pretty useless now.

A moan brought his attention back to the bed. The boy's face was frowning and he raised a hand to his head. Green eyes blinked and a small sound of pain escaped the boy's lips.

Aspirin, he should have thought to buy aspirin.

The green eyes looked around with confusion and uncertainty. Finally they settled on him and widened.

"Muraki?"

He watched as Hisoka pulled himself into a sitting position, not making any move to approach.

"That red light I saw before I passed out was you wasn't it?"

He nodded, and the boy seemed to wilt with relief. "Thank you for saving me."

**XXX**

Tsuzuki refused to stay in bed any longer. The headache was dissipating and he was feeling better, and he was determined to find out what happened to his partner.

He left the infirmary and went straight to Watari's lab, entering unannounced, much to the startlement of the blonde within.

"Tsuzuki!" What are you doing up, well I was going to get you up soon anyway but…"

Has there been any word from Tatsumi?"

"Yup." Watari nodded. "Muraki gave him the slip, but he's working under the idea that Muraki's staying somewhere in the area, checking out local hotels and such. We're supposed to meet him on Chiju in about," He checked his watch. "Twenty minutes."

"Okay, let's go."

**XXX**

Tatsumi entered the small restaurant where he had arranged to meet his co-workers right at the agreed upon time to find that Watari and Tsuzuki were already there waiting for him. Even from across the room he could see how agitated Tsuzuki was, the man practically thrummed with impatience.

"Tatsumi! Over here!" Watari had stood up and was waving his arms vigorously over his head as if Tatsumi couldn't see them the moment he walked into the room.

Shaking his head, Tatsumi made his way to their table and fixing Watari with a glare, lowered himself into a seat. "There is nothing wrong with my eyesight Watari-san."

"I know" Said Watari, grinning cheekily, meeting the glare straight on.

"Did you find anything?" Tsuzuki burst out.

Tatsumi nodded and adjusted his glasses. "I found a room registered to a Muraki Kazutaka at a nearby hotel, but I haven't gone to check it out yet."

Tsuzuki Immediately stood up.

"Sit down Tsuzuki-san. We're not going to go charging into the situation blindly."

"But Hisoka…"

"May not even be there, and if he is, I doubt Muraki will simply hand him over. So let decide on a course of action before we confront him."

Tsuzuki sat down.

**XXX**

"I picked you up some clothes, if you would like to clean up and get changed."

"Ah…thanks." It was so hard to think as this man as Muraki, he felt so _different_. Hisoka looked away, unsure what to do. He was alone with Muraki, yet he didn't feel threatened or afraid. In fact he didn't feel any sense of danger. The emotions he could read from the man were concern and worry. Probing deeper he could sense confusion, possessiveness and regret. Hisoka looked away.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not really, I'm just having a hard time thinking of you as Muraki, you're not the same." Hisoka looked back intensely.

Muraki gave him a small smile. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Hardly," The corner of Hisoka's mouth twitched. "I like you much better this way." He said dryly.

"So I don't seem like Muraki to you. Very well, then just call me Kazutaka."

"Um…alright." Hisoka began to pull his focus away from the other man and finally began to realize his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"A hotel. I had to get you out of the hospital…"

"Where's Tsuzuki?"

Muraki flinched. "I'm sorry, that thing that was attacking you, it killed him."

"No!" The word fell out of Hisoka's mouth before he could stop it. It took him several moments and deep breaths to pull himself together. Tsuzuki was a Shinigami, he reminded himself, and whatever that creature was, it was not enough to take down Tsuzuki Asato.

"I'm sorry." Muraki said again. "There wasn't anything I could do for him."

Hisoka was shaking his head. "I need to get back, Tsuzuki will be looking for me…" And if Tsuzuki was hurt to badly, then Tatsumi, or Watari, or Kanoe, or any number of people would be looking for him. For all he knew they already were. "How long have I been here?"

"It's four o'clock now, so you've been unconscious for about fifteen hours."

Hisoka groaned. "I have got to go. Do you mind if I go and get cleaned up now?"

Muraki wordlessly handed him the bag containing the clothes he had purchased.

Hisoka nodded, and climbing out of the bed, headed for the bathroom.

Muraki watched him go, frowning.


	8. Chapter 8

I think I may have found a plot, I hope that doesn't scare people away!

As always, I own nothing.

And thanks to those who read, and especially those who review.

**Chapter 7**

They sent Watari to knock on the door.

The idea was that if Muraki had really lost all of his memories, he wouldn't recognize the blond man, and he might be able to go in and look around for Hisoka without arousing Muraki's suspicions.

Tsuzuki was tense, rigid beside Tatsumi where they stood out of sight down the hallway. Tatsumi paid him little attention, his gaze fixed on his blonde co-worker, wishing he could take his place, facing the risks. But he knew that this was the best way, and the shadows around the scientist shifted protectively.

"Stop that!" Watari hissed in their direction. "I'll be fine!"

Watari turned back to the door as it opened.

"Can I help you?" Asked the silver haired doctor.

"Ah, yes!" Watari flashed a full disarming smile. "My name is Watari Yutaka, I'm from the hospital. I was asked to do a follow up interview with you, just to make sure you're going to be alright, make sure that you have no problems getting back into your life, that sort of thing." Watari beamed.

Muraki cast a glance over his shoulder and sighed. "Will this take long?"

"Oh no!" Watari hastened to assure him. "Just a few minutes of your time."

"Very well. Please come in." Muraki stepped back and Watari entered the room.

Watari looked around, noticing that there were no personal items except for a suitcase over by an unmade bed. There was a closed door and Watari realized that he could hear water running. "I'm sorry, did you have company?"

Muraki nodded. "Yes, he's in the shower now, but he'll be done soon."

"Is it someone you knew prior to your accident?" Watari asked playing into his role and fishing for information at the same time.

"I believe so, yes." Muraki answered.

The running water stopped.

"So how have you been feeling, no dizzy spells or…"

"Watari?" Hisoka stood in the bathroom doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist. His green eyes wide with surprise as he looked at his colleague.

Both men turned toward the youth.

Muraki could see the faint scars that traced over the boy's torso and down his arms. What had happened to him?

_A red moon_. A sharp pain lanced through Muraki's head. _Falling sakura petals._ He brought his hands to his head and squeezed. The scars, _strings_. "No!" He didn't want to remember

"…you alright?"

The pain subsided and Muraki looked up to see both Watari and Hisoka looking down at him in concern. In the boy's eyes he could see carefully controlled panic. Why was he afraid?

"Yes, I'm fine." He let his hands drop back to his sides, pleased to see the fear easing from the boy's eyes.

"And you're okay Bon?" Watari asked turning to Hisoka, looking him up and down.

Hisoka blushed bright red. "I'm alright. I'll go get dressed." He hurried back into the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him with a little more force than necessary.

"You know Kurosaki-kun?" Muraki asked the blonde man.

"Of course, we work together after all. Actually, there's been some concern since he disappeared last night. How did he come to be with you?"

"Well…"

"Kazutaka-san rescued me from a potentially bad situation last night." Hisoka supplied, reemerging from the bathroom, now wearing a new pair of jeans and an emerald green sweater. "Thanks for the clothes." He said turning to the platinum haired man.

"Kazutaka-san?" Watari questioned softly to himself, amazed and disturbed by this new level of familiarity between Hisoka and the man who killed him.

"You're welcome, do they fit?"

"Perfectly."

"So you're going then?" Muraki asked feeling a strange sense of loss.

Hisoka nodded. He could feel the man's emotion running through him and found himself almost reluctant to leave. "Do you know what you're going to do now?"

Muraki shrugged. "I'll probably go home, see if I can fit into my old life."

Hisoka offered him a small smile. "Maybe you should just start a new one."

Watari placed his hand on Hisoka's shoulder. "We should get going Bon."

Hisoka looked up at him. "Okay."

Muraki followed the two men to the door and stepped out with them. "I'll see you again bouya." He said, it was more a statement of fact then a question.

Hisoka nodded ruefully. "We always seem to run into each other."

"Hisoka!"

Muraki turned as that too familiar voice rang through the hall

'It can't be!' He thought to himself, 'He's dead! The back of his head was crushed!'

But he was there.

Muraki watched as the violet eyed man threw himself on the boy. He was alive, and there didn't seem to be any injuries.

'The back of his head was crushed!'

_Don't you want it? A perfect body?_ (1)

_In this world, nothing is perfect._ (2)

Muraki slumped to the floor, unconscious.

**XXX**

Tsuzuki visibly started when the three men step out of the hotel room, a strangled sound escaped him. "Hisoka…" He said softly.

"Tsuzuki! Stay…"but Tatsumi was already speaking to empty air.

Tsuzuki almost flew down the hallway. "Hisoka!" He threw his arms around the other, his relief almost crushing him, and Hisoka.

"Tsuzuki no baka! Get off!"

The tremor in the empath's voice told Tsuzuki that he was on the verge of being flooded. Tsuzuki pulled back and looked his partner over looking for any sign of pain or injury, and he realized that he was receiving the same scrutiny in return.

"Hey!" Watari's cry alerted the pair to Muraki's collapsing form.

"We'd better take him back inside." Tatsumi said, joining the group and shooting a particularly dirty look at Tsuzuki. "We can't leave him lying in the middle of the hallway."

Tatsumi and Watari carried Muraki's limp form into the apartment and laid him in the unmade bed. Tsuzuki and Hisoka followed behind.

"Are you okay?" Tsuzuki asked, his gaze once again traveling over his partner.

"I should be asking you that." Hisoka returned softly, emerald eyes meeting amethyst. "He told me that thing had killed you."

Tsuzuki reached out and grasped Hisoka's hand, squeezing the slender fingers. "Oh hey, Hisoka" Suddenly his tone became lighter, slightly teasing. "You weren't worried about me were you?"

Hisoka scowled at him. "Baka, of course not. So how badly were you hurt?"

"Just a bump on the head." Tsuzuki grinned.

Hisoka looked at him for a long moment, recognizing the lie for what it was. He made a mental note to ask Watari later.

"So how did you end up here with Muraki?" Tsuzuki asked.

"That thing at the hospital last night, it was going to touch me," Hisoka wrapped his arms around himself and shuttered. "But he saved me from it."

"It was going to touch you?" Tsuzuki looked confused.

"That thing wasn't real Tsuzuki, it was as if someone took all their anger, all their pain, all their hate, somehow made it solid and just threw it at us. That thing was just solid emotions, and I don't know what would have happened to me if it had touched me." An even stronger shutter wracked his frame.

Tsuzuki slid an arm around his partner, offering what reassurance he could. "I never thought I'd be grateful for Muraki."

Hisoka let out a small humorless laugh. "Me neither."

"…now what?"

Both Tsuzuki and Hisoka looked over at Watari, "What?" They asked in unison.

Watari gave them a look that was both amused and exasperated. "Weren't you listening?"

"Nope!" Tsuzuki told him quite cheerfully.

Watari sighed. Tatsumi looked annoyed.

"I was saying that we really shouldn't leave him here to wake up on his own. " Watari informed them, "But Tatsumi-san here is unwilling to let any of us stay with him, so now what?"

"Call Oriya." Hisoka suggested.

"That would probably be the best idea." Tatsumi agreed.

"Do you have his number?" Tsuzuki asked.

Tatsumi looked at him without answering, and Tsuzuki fidgeted under the man's intense gaze.

"I saw Oriya-san earlier today, I should be able to find him again without too much trouble. The three of you can wait here, I'll bring him back."

Watari and Hisoka nodded. Tsuzuki studiously pretended to be invisible after being the target of the secretary's annoyance. Tatsumi returned the two nods, and with a final glare at the not so invisible man, Tatsumi disappeared from the apartment.

**XXX**

Faces appeared before him before sinking back into darkness.

Looking into violet eyes, unlike any he'd ever seen. _I suggest that you be very careful. I'd hate to see you lose anyone…special. _(3)

What was this? _I can't help it. That's the way I'm programmed._

The man from earlier, his long dark hair and kimono swirling around him. _If I died before you did… even if you didn't mean it…_sad eyes…_would you shed at least one tear for me?_

Dark blonde hair, delicate features, _When I love something…_Pain and fear in an emerald setting, _I make a special effort._

No! Just a dream!

A face with no form, black flames and blood, perfect amethysts devoid of life.

A feeling of pressure growing around him.

A sense of finality. _I have nowhere to return to…_

A flash of pain and a burst of power…

**XXX**

Watari looked at Hisoka "It's impossible. Emotions are intangible, you just can't give them mass!"

"Or bring a picture to life?" Hisoka countered.

"Well that's ma…" For just a moment Watari looked flummoxed, then he grinned. "Okay Bon, I'll allow for a possibility, a slim one. But it would take an enormous amount of power."

"And a whole lot of negative emotion." Tsuzuki added. "That thing was pretty big."

Hisoka opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a moan from the unconscious man on the bed. Muraki stirred and a frown marked his features, but he didn't awaken.

Hisoka reached out with his empathy trying to find the reason behind Muraki's restlessness. He winced. "Wake him up!"

Tsuzuki moved to do just that, but before he could reach him, a red aura formed around Muraki, and Tsuzuki drew back, suddenly cautious. The aura pulsed then exploded outwards, catching the other three occupants in the room in the resulting burst of energy.

**TBC**

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

1-This is what Muraki asked Tsuzuki in the anime.

2-Tsuzuki's reply from the magna, he doesn't reply in the anime.

3-All the italics in this section are quotes from magna 1 & 8


	9. Chapter 9

Finally.

Sorry for the wait, I hope I'll get the next chapter out a bit quicker, but I wouldn't count on it.

I really don't like this chapter too much, so I'm going to apologize for it in advance. (So sorry!) It probably would be longer if I could manage to keep the main characters awake for it!

And I got such a great response on the last chapter, Thanks to everybody!

As alway, I own nadda.

**Chapter 8**

Tatsumi and Oriya stood in the door of the hotel room. Neither could find words to explain what they were seeing.

The room had been devastated. Furniture was broken and over-turned, the walls were scorched. The bed was charred. Across the room, slumped against the wall was Watari,looking slightly scorched as well. Muraki, Tsuzuki and Hisoka were nowhere to be seen.

Tatsumi quickly picked his way through the ruins to Watari's side. Kneeling down, he gave the blonde man a little shake. "Watari, wake up!"

Watari moaned softly and doubled over, clutching his head in his hands.

"Watari! What happened here? Where are the others?"

At that question Watari's head shot up and he realized for the first time the condition of the hotel room. "Tatsumi! I, I don't know what happened! We were talking and Muraki started to stir, Bon said to wake him up, but before anyone could, there was this blast!"

"Blast?" Tatsumi asked, offering the younger Shinigami a hand to his feet.

Watari stumbled a bit, but managed to keep his footing. "It came from Muraki, but he was still out cold. I don't know how he managed to gather enough energy to do this much damage without being conscious!"

**XXX**

He opened his eyes, and blinked.

He was looking up at a darkening sky, when had he left the hotel room?

He pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around him. He seemed to be sitting in the middle of a large burned out pit. He wondered at the intensity of a fire that could do the amount of damage that he could see here. There were steel beams scattered around, blackened, _melted_! Even the floor he was sitting on was scorched, as if the concrete was as good a tinder as dry wood. From the dirt and fallen debris he could tell that the fire that had claimed this building was a long time past.

So why was he here?

He noticed a figure lying a short distance away. Climbing to his feet and shaking off a lingering dizziness, he made his way over to the prone body.

It was the violet eyed man, Tsuzuki Asato. He tentatively reached out and brushed aside a dark strand of hair. The man looked unguarded and vulnerable in his unconscious state. Muraki ran his hand gently over the back of the man's head. There was no injury.

"Who are you Tsuzuki Asato?" He asked rhetorically, "What are you?"

A soft moan caught his attention and he realized that Tsuzuki was not the only person there with him.

The boy.

But he couldn't see him, where was he? Muraki got back to his feet and started to look around, peering into the shadows. After several minutes of hunting he found the boy lying hidden behind a collapsed wall. He gently lifted the small figure and carried him over to where Tsuzuki was lying, placing the boy on the ground beside him, he studied the two of them.

Now what?

**XXX**

Oriya watched as the Shinigami who introduced himself as Tatsumi Seiichiro spoke softly to his shaken colleague.

He was shocked by the amount of damage done to the room. He, more than any of them realized what Muraki was capable of, but this! He shook his head.

**XXX**

Watching his silent companions as darkness fell around them, Muraki Kazutaka came to several conclusions.

The first was that he was not a very nice person. Part of this conclusion was based on the initial reactions that had received from both the boy and the other man, but a larger part was based on the information that now seemed to be making itself available to him from some dark recess of his own mind.

He raised a hand and concentrated for a moment, watching with detachment as cool red flames formed and danced across his fingers. Chi energy. He shook his hand and the flames vanished.

Various spells, incantations and their meanings, knowledge that he would rather not possess ran through his mind.

Reaching out, he gently took the boy's wrist in his hand and pushed up his sleeve to reveal the silvery scars. He now recognized them for what they were. He could read the curse that had drawn the boy into death, and he was pretty sure he knew whose hand had carved the curse into the boy's skin. He now had a better understanding of the boy's fear, but he could not undo what had already been done, Which led to his second conclusion.

Kurosaki Hisoka belonged to him. He may not remember claiming him, but the boy was his none the less. He always would be, the proof of that was clearly marked on his skin, and Muraki was going to keep him.

And his partner.

His gaze flickered over to the violet eyed man. Tsuzuki Asato had something he wanted and he was not human…

_Shinigami._

The word came to him unbidden and the implications were staggering, but this man was more than that. Muraki was sure that this man had been different long before he died. He was fascinated by Tsuzuki Asato. Now that he no longer felt the stirrings of panic in the man's presence, the stifling heat…

Heat…fire.

Standing up Muraki looked over the burned ruins around him. His eyes widened as understanding washed over him. He had been here, in this building as it burned. So had Tsuzuki, his eyes traveling over the blackened wreckage that even time had not been able to hide. He realized that somehow, despite the enormity of the fire both he and Tsuzuki had somehow managed to come out alive. But not together, he thought, remembering the angry hiss of Tsuzuki's voice when he first said his name. They had parted as enemies.

**XXX**

The first thing that Hisoka became aware of was that he was laying on something hard. It didn't feel like the carpeted floor of the hotel room. He hurt, his entire body ached and for just a moment he wondered if anyone had gotten the license plate number of the truck that hit him.

But it hadn't been a truck, it had been Muraki, no, Kazutaka.

Hisoka had felt the energy building up inside the unconscious man and told Tsuzuki to wake him up, but it had been too late, the excess energy had burst from the man in an uncontrolled wave and the resulting wave of power had slammed into them.

Had Kazutaka somehow transported them from the hotel room? Hisoka slowly opened his eyes, it sure looked like it. He turned his head to take in his surroundings and immediately recognized where he was.

No!

He jerked himself into a sitting position. He was not in the middle of the ruins of Shion University, it couldn't be! It had to be some sort of hallucination, a bad joke.

No joke.

He could see Kazutaka standing a little distance away, looking at the rubble. Reaching out to the man with his empathy, he could feel conflicting emotions coming from the man. Confusion, determination, agitation, resignation. The darker emotions made him nervous, every time he felt a spike of aggression, anger of fear from the doctor he worried that the old Muraki would return. Tsuzuki was right, the Muraki they knew was in there somewhere, and it was hurt to think that sooner or later he would be back.

Tsuzuki.

Hisoka turned to see his partner lying beside him. Not good, he didn't want Tsuzuki to wake up to this place.

"You're awake!"

Hisoka turned towards the familiar voice that was still capable of eliciting a shiver from him. Watching Muraki Kazutaka striding towards him through the shadows was still enough to unnerve him. _He's not the same person!_ Hisoka told himself and offered the man a small but shaky smile. "We should get out of here."

"Where exactly are we? Do you know?" Kazutaka asked him

Hisoka nodded. "Shion University in Kyoto."

"There was a fire here."

"Hai. A little over a year ago."

"I was here then, wasn't I?"

Hisoka shivered. He decided he wanted to get Kazutaka out of this place as well, maybe even more than he wanted Tsuzuki out. "C'mon, I know a place where we can go for a while," He gestured to Tsuzuki. "Could you give me a hand with him?"

He moved closer to Tsuzuki's side as the doctor knelt to lift the unconscious man, but paused as he heard something rustling in the shadows. Kazutaka turned his head towards the noise, and Hisoka could feel the sudden pressure of approaching emotions, _hatred, fear, contempt, rage_…

What the hell?

The shadows shifted and converged into a deeper darkness that he had seen once before, and waves of pain began to wash over Hisoka as the thing took on mass and solidity.

"How…" _did it follow us?_ Hisoka couldn't force out the words. He could feel himself getting more distant, drowning under the flood of negativity _despair, desire, loathing…_

He tried to strengthen his mental shields against the onslaught, _make it stop!_ But he was losing.

For a moment he thought he was looking into wide, familiar violet eyes before sinking back into darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

The pieces are falling together! I'm a little late, but I'm still going! Yay me!

As always, I own nothing.

**Chapter 9**

Tsuzuki opened his eyes to find himself staring into the familiar green eyes of his partner, glazed over with pain, before they closed and he felt a weight collapse onto his chest.

What the hell?

"Hisoka?" Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked down at the slender form lying across him

The last thing he remembered he had been in the hotel room, he had moved to wake Muraki up, but a red glow had formed around the man, and then there was a flash of red light, and he had been flying through the air, and now…

Looking around, Tsuzuki's eyes widened as he realized exactly where he was. Kyoto, amid the devastation that had been left after Touda's fire had engulfed Shion University, which was the last place he wanted to be. With the last person he wanted to be with, he thought as he saw Muraki standing a little distance away from him and Hisoka. The doctor was staring into the shadows intently.

With one arm wrapped around Hisoka to prevent him from being jarred, Tsuzuki sat upright. He laid his partner on the ground and got to his feet. What was going on? What was wrong with Hisoka? Was it this place? Tsuzuki had no doubt that any emotions that resided in this place would have a negative impact on the empath, but to affect him this strongly…

Muraki threw a quick glance over his shoulder at the sound of movement. "Is the bouya alright?"

"He's fine." Tsuzuki said sharply, not entirely pleased with the man's concern. Perhaps Hisoka believed that Muraki was different now, but Tsuzuki still had reservations.

"Good." Muraki started to back up slowly, not taking his eyes off the shadowy mass ahead of him. Tsuzuki watched this odd behavior and turned to peer into the shadows.

It was getting dark, but the mass of shadows appeared to be as black as pitch, they almost looked like they were moving.

Like they had at Jikei Hospital.

It was that thing again. Hisoka had said it was made of solid emotions, but whose? Where was it coming from? Tendrils of darkness stretched out from the main mass, moving languidly as if it were a blind creature trying to find it's way, but Tsuzuki remembered how quick this thing was capable of moving, and he started backing away in much the same manner that Muraki had, his attention riveted on the shadowy figure in front of him.

Sparing a quick look over his shoulder, he saw Muraki had picked up Hisoka and was cradling the boy in his arms as he continued to back away.

"Hey, wait…"

"The bouya said he knew of a place we could go, do you know where that would be?" Muraki asked him, keeping his voice soft, as if loud noise would entice the creature to attack.

Tsuzuki thought for a moment while continuing to back away. "I know of a place," he said thinking of the abandon building that he, Hisoka and Watari had stayed in during the Kyoto assignment, "But it is definitely not much."

"We don't need much, just someplace away from that." Muraki nodded towards the dark mass that was steadily advancing on them.

"Give me Hisoka." Tsuzuki reached out to take the youth from Muraki, but Muraki backed up a step, holding the boy tightly.

"He's fine, and I won't let him get hurt, but we need to leave now." Muraki stated in a calm voice.

As if to prove his words the shadowy mass chose that moment to lash out at the trio, whip like appendages streaked towards them forcing them to move. Muraki jumped back out of the way holding Hisoka protectively.

Tsuzuki jumped up and caught himself in mid air, hovering as the tendrils of darkness flew beneath him, and then surged upward. Pulling out a barrier fuda, Tsuzuki prepared to meet the onslaught head on when he noticed a flash of red light off to the side and heard Muraki growl.

Looking over he saw that Muraki's ability to fight was badly hampered by the burden in his arms and the man was slowly being backed into a corner.

With Hisoka.

Darkness glanced off his barrier, and Tsuzuki threw himself towards where the doctor was fighting a losing battle but the creature surged up between them blocking his path. He could no longer see what was happening to the doctor or his partner. He sent a blast of energy at the solid darkness, causing the shadowy darkness to swirl and dance, but the creature remained in his way.

Tsuzuki folded his hands, preparing to summon Suzaku to his aid when a familiar voice screamed out in pain and fear.

"Hisoka!"

**XXX**

Now he had some time to think.

After a quick trip to Meifu to change his scorched clothing and put his hair into some kind of order Watari felt remarkably better, more ready to deal with the situation and now he, Tatsumi and Oriya were sitting at a patio table at a small bistro style restaurant, trying to figure out what their next move should be.

"Okay, let brainstorm." He said to his two companions. "To sum up what we know, Muraki was in a car accident. He has amnesia and doesn't remember who he is or what he's done. Bon was able to confirm that."

"But he's still Muraki." Tatsumi pointed out.

"True, but if Bon couldn't sense the feelings that he could normally feel from Muraki, then his original personality must be buried pretty deep, if not completely gone. We know that Muraki was taken to Jikei Hospital after his accident, and somehow Tsuzuki and Bon ended up on a case there. Could there be a connection there?"

Tatsumi pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes thinking. "How long was Muraki in the hospital? The first soul failed to arrive in Meifu a little over three weeks ago."

"That would be about the same time that Muraki was admitted." Confirmed Oriya. "But how could he have anything to do with missing souls? His doctor told me that for the first two weeks he was in the hospital he was in a coma. He was even on life support for the first week."

Watari's eyes widened in surprise. "He was that badly hurt?"

Oriya nodded "According to the doctor."

"But he looked fine when I saw him, there was nothing that would suggest that he'd even been in an accident. People don't heal from injuries that severe in just under a month!"

"Maybe it's something he set up ahead of time." Tatsumi suggested.

Oriya and Watari both turned to him. "What?"

"What if, and I'm not even sure this is possible, what if he was somehow able to create a spell that would be activated when he needed it to?"

"Like if he were unconscious and dying?" Watari questioned. "Maybe a spell that would automatically kick in, maybe drain life-force from those around him to assist and speed his own healing?"

"That would explain why the souls failed to arrive in Meifu, they were drained while they were in the ICU at Jikei Hospital."

Watari started bouncing in his seat as his mind clicked onto another piece of the puzzle. "That would also explain the burst of energy he released at the hotel. If there was such a spell, without his memories Muraki wouldn't be able to stop it, in fact he probably wouldn't remember it at all, so with his body completely healed, the energy just accumulated until…Bam!"

"Would such a spell be possible?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yes, I think it would, I don't even think it would be all that hard. A little complicated maybe…" Watari trailed off considering.

"But where was he drawing energy from when he was in the hotel, unless he was drawing energy from you, Tsuzuki and Kurosaki-kun…"

"No," Watari shook his head, causing blonde hair to escape from its ribbon. "We would have been able to feel a draw like that, and Bon seemed," He paused, searching for an appropriate word. "Comfortable around him."

Tatsumi grimaced. "That's surprising in itself." He said. "So there must be something we're missing."

"And what about that shadow thing that Tsuzuki and Bon ran into? How does that fit into the picture?" Watari asked.

"What if…" Oryia finally spoke up. "What if that shadow thing, as you called it, was the negative part of Muraki's personality?"

Tatsumi and Watari both stared at the man intently.

"What are you suggesting?" Tatsumi asked.

"Well Muraki had a lot of anger, hate and bitterness inside him, but you said that the bouya no longer senses any of that. Those feeling can't just disappear, so what if he pushed them out of himself and they formed this shadow thing?"

Watari nodded slowly. "That makes so much sense it's almost scary."

Tatsumi shot him a questioning look.

"Well think about it. In a coma Muraki wouldn't be able to draw energy easily, it would probably require touch. But if he could release a part of himself, even an emotional part with no physical form, it could travel and gather energy for him and feed the energy directly to him, being part of him after all. And because it's completely separate from him Bon wouldn't feel it in him. We're left with just the positive aspects of his personality in his body."

"I'm amazed he has any." Tatsumi muttered under his breath drawing a glare from Oriya.

"And of course the negative part of Muraki would lash out at Tsuzuki and Bon." Watari continued. "Especially at Tsuzuki."

"Do you think that Muraki would be able to control the negative aspects of his personality?" Tatsumi asked.

"No." Oriya answered, a note of sadness entering his voice. "I don't think that he'd have any control at all, he never did before."

"And none of this tells us how to find them." Tatsumi sighed. "Where would Muraki have taken them?"

"Probably to someplace where there was a great emotional upheaval in his life." Watari commented. "After all, he's probably rather emotionally unstable at the moment."

"Any idea's where that would be?" Tatsumi asked raising an eyebrow.

"Kyoto." Oriya answered. "His lab. Where he kept Saki."


	11. Chapter 11

Well, I got another chapter done and it's really tiny! (I am so sorry, I was going to make it longer, but the next scene just could not be the end of a chapter, so it's going to start the next one.)

I was doing really good, writing about a chapter a week, but then my muse went on vacation. I will try to be a little quicker with the next one.

And the reviews! They are so (Flattering? Generous? Nice?) Wonderful, I swear I've been floating around with a big silly grin on my face. Thanks.

**Warning: **Somebody says a bad word in this chapter, you have been warned. (Just a little one)

So as always, I own zip, but you already knew that.

**Chapter 10**

Muraki Kazutaka felt the first stirrings of panic…

He was fighting a losing battle.

The shadowy mass was closing in on him and he had run into a wall, there was nowhere for him to go. He was sure that he could fight back and probably win, but in order to do that he would need full use of his hands, he would have to abandon the boy. Self-preservation warred against possessiveness.

Possessiveness won.

He turned into the corner, effectively shielding the smaller form from the approaching darkness with his own body.

The darkness reached them, he could feel it press against him, seeping into his skin. It _hurt!_

There was a feeling of pressure against his mind, and waves of anger, hatred and bitterness threatened to break over him…_No! I don't want…_

The slender figure in his arms began to scream.

The sound jolted him, and in a last desperate attempt to protect himself and the youth in his arms, he gathered his energy and let it burst outwards, pushing the darkness away from him. In the moment before the shadowy mass could close in on them once again, the pair disappeared.

**XXX**

"Hisoka!"

The sound of his partners' screams rang through Tsuzuki's head.

Heedless of the possible danger, Tsuzuki threw himself in the direction he had last seen Muraki and Hisoka, right into the heart of the solid shadow. The dark mass surged around him, pressing against his barrier. The barrier weakened under the enormous pressure and cracks appeared as the barrier threatened to give way completely. Tsuzuki fought to keep the barrier intact as he pushed forward. Thin streams of darkness pushed through newly formed cracks and forming needle sharp points, flew at the struggling Shinigami. Although Tsuzuki dodged as best he could in the limited space available, the long sharp filaments caught him, tearing into his flesh, and with every moment, more darkness forced its way through his barrier.

Then it stopped.

Tsuzuki could feel blood trickling from numerous wounds over his body, and he braced himself for the next wave of attack, but it never came. The shadowy mass was utterly still and Tsuzuki could practically feel it vibrating, as if it was still trying to attack him.

Slowly the darkness parted just a bit, and Tsuzuki's barrier collapsed completely. Tsuzuki felt himself falling and with a painful thud landed on the floor. Completely disorientated, he tried to push himself to his feet. Arms went around his shoulders giving him help and support.

"Are you okay Tsuzuki?"

"Watari?"

"In person!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass at the moment."

"Could you two cut the chit chat for a moment, we really should get out of here." Tatsumi's voice cut in.

Tsuzuki looked over to see the shadow master a little distance away, one arm outstretched towards the dark mass, severe strain showing on his face.

"Tatsumi?"

"Quit dawdling and let's go! Where are Kurosaki-kun and the doctor?"

Tsuzuki looked back to the corner where he had last seen his partner and Muraki, but it was empty.

"I don't know! They were there, but that thing separated us."

"They're gone?" For a moment Tatsumi's concentration wavered and the dark mass surged toward the Shinigami before he managed to reassert his control.

"Gone." Watari confirmed, scanning the area.

"Then we should go too." Tatsumi said, not taking his gaze off the shadowy form held rigidly above them.

"Tatsumi? How are you doing that?" Tsuzuki asked as he and Watari hurried to join the shadow master.

"This thing may be solid emotion as Kurosaki said, but its substance still resembles that of a shadow, so I can control it…to a degree. It's difficult though."

As if to prove Tatsumi's words, the dark mass shifted and pulsed outwards. The shadow master visibly redoubled his efforts to hold in check. "We have to go now." The strain was beginning to sound in his voice.

"Where?" Tsuzuki asked.

"We're going to the Kokakuro" Watari told him. "Oriya-san's waiting there for us."

"Oriya?"

"Mibu Oriya, don't you remember? Muraki's friend."

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

"Oh, I forgot you never…"

"This is neither the time nor place for small talk!" Tatsumi all but roared at the easily distracted pair, causing both men to jump.

Watari placed one hand on Tatsumi's shoulder and grabbing a hold of Tsuzuki's arm with the other, teleported the three of them away from the dark remains of Shion University.

**XXX**

Oriya was sitting calmly in the large garden behind his restaurant when the Shinigami appeared in front of him. Arching an eyebrow, he took in the appearance of the men. Tsuzuki looked like he had gone through the wringer, his clothing torn and bloodstained, the long coat he wore was a mess of tatters. Brilliant violet eyes shone with worry and fatigue. Tatsumi didn't look much better, although free of blood, he looked depleted. His normally intense blue eyes were glazed, and there was a sheen of sweat on his face. The only one who looked capable of standing under his own power was the blonde. Watari seemed unfazed by whatever had happened at the university, and was currently lending support to the other two. Oriya wondered for a brief moment which of them would collapse first. He frowned slightly, just three of them?

"You seem to be a few people short." He stated.

"Muraki and Bon were gone by the time we got there." Watari said.

Oriya noticed that Tsuzuki winced, as if the words could cause him physical pain. "So he took the bouya with him, did he?" Oriya smirked slightly seeing Tsuzuki wince a second time. This man was part of the reason that Muraki had sunk as far into depravity as he had, granted a small part, but Oriya still found himself resenting the violet eyed man and the effect that he had had on his friends' life. Muraki had committed serial murders just to attract this man's attention. Maybe if Muraki hadn't found his grandfather's picture…

"We'll find them!" Watari said brightly, not noticing the subtle interplay between the two men. "And I'm sure they'll be fine." He squeezed Tsuzuki's arm gently in reassurance, then looked back to Oriya. "Both of them."

Oriya sighed to himself seeing confusion, hurt, worry and a myriad of emotions in the violet gaze. In the end it didn't really matter, he realized that what Muraki did was not Tsuzuki's fault, but that didn't mean he had to like the man.

"Come inside, all of you need to get cleaned up." Standing, Oriya led the way into the Kokakuro, the Shinigami following immediately behind him, Thoughts of clean water and rest were too much to pass up.

Nobody noticed the two unconscious bodies that lay only a few meters away, hidden from sight by the dense growth of Oriya's garden.


	12. Chapter 12

Li-chan says I need a warning here, so here it is!

**Warning:** Hisoka/Muraki moment ahead, for anyone who doesn't like this pairing, sorry!

And no, I don't think this story is acually going to go in 'that' direction.

Thank yous and flowers to everyone who had read and reviewed! Much luv to all!

As always, I own nadda.

**Chapter 11**

The morning sunlight streamed down warm and overly bright.

'Where am I?'

Muraki Kazutaka shook his head to clear it and smiled ruefully to himself. It seemed that every time he awoke recently he was asking that same question. It was soon followed by others. 'How long have I been here? All night?'

Gingerly, he began to move, his entire body ached and he realized that his left arm was numb. He turned his head and found himself looking into the delicate features of Kurosaki Hisoka, who lay unconscious in his arms.

Ignoring the dull pain that the movement caused him, he gently brushed the hair away from Hisoka's closed eyes. Another somewhat rueful grin touched his lips, why did it seem that the boy couldn't remain conscious for very long in his presence?

A feeling of contentment stole over him as he observed the blonde. He was alright, the shadowy creature from the night before hadn't manage to hurt him. Once more that same feeling of possessiveness swept over him. 'Mine.' he thought, and he leaned over and gently pressed his lips to Hisoka's forehead.

Wide green eyes stared up at him as he pulled back.

Kazutaka took the fact that he didn't run away screaming as a positive sign, and very slowly, giving the boy time to protest or pull away, he leaned down again and placed a gentle kiss on Hisoka's lips.

Pulling back for a second time he saw surprise, confusion and a little fear shining out at him from the jade eyes.

"Please don't."

He sighed at the whispered words and once again ignoring his discomfort, climbed to his feet.

Hisoka stared up at him, relived that he had withdrawn. Almost without thinking about it, he reached out with his empathy. He felt gentle ripples of calm, sorrow, and a faint tinge of regret.

Kazutaka looked back over his shoulder at him. "You know I can feel when you do that."

A blush stained Hisoka's cheeks and he looked away guiltily.

Kazutaka chuckled and Hisoka could feel a wave of light amusement from the man.

A hand appeared before his face and Hisoka looked up to Kazutaka kneeling in front of him a warm smile on his face, offering to help him up.

Hisoka took the offered hand and braced himself to be pulled up, but it didn't come. He watched the smile fade from Kazutaka's face.

"What?" He looked at the larger hand grasping his own and saw that his sleeve had ridden up revealing the faint silvery scars that trailed down his forearm.

He tried to jerk his hand back, but Kazutaka wouldn't let go, he traced the lines of the curse gently. Hisoka looked up into his eyes, they had become shadowed and…sad?

"I did this, didn't I?"

Hisoka looked away, not knowing how to answer.

It was answer enough.

"I'm sorry."

Hisoka looked up in shock, he never thought that he would hear those particular words from those lips. Before he could form any sort of reply, he was pulled to his feet. Staggering slightly, he found his balance and only then did Kazutaka release his hand.

"Do you know where we are?" Kazutaka asked as Hisoka looked around.

With a start, Hisoka realized he knew exactly where they were. There was a building not too far away from where they stood, and although he'd never been inside, he would have recognized it anywhere. "This is the Kokakuro."

"The Kokakuro?"

"Oriya's restaurant."

"Oriya's?"

Hisoka looked up at the man, he could hear the recognition in his voice. "You remember him?"

Kazutaka nodded. "I met him at the hospital, but I don't remember him from before that."

Hisoka nodded, feeling a little sad that the man had lost the memory of the only real friend that he had, but at the same time relieved that the old Muraki was still buried deep enough to be all but gone.

"C'mon, let's go." Grabbing Kazutaka's hand, he proceeded to drag him to the building.

**XXX**

"So where do we begin looking for them?" Tatsumi asked as Oriya poured him a cup of tea.

Tsuzuki sat at the table quietly, ignoring the breakfast that Oriya had placed there earlier. Watari on the other hand had dug in and was doing justice to the meal.

Watari looked up. "I really have no idea." He took a sip of his own tea. "We would need to know Muraki's mind set before we could even begin to conjecture."

"So what would Muraki be thinking? Personally I wouldn't even want to speculate." Tatsumi ground out sarcastically.

Tsuzuki winced and Oriya shoot the blue eyed secretary a dirty look. Watari shook his head. "No, right now Muraki is not thinking like the man we knew, there is almost no negative side to his personality at the moment, and he seems to like Bon. In the little time that I saw them together, he seemed affectionate and somewhat protective of him."

Tsuzuki looked at the blonde scientist incredulously. "You have got to be kidding me."

"No I'm not. Our best bet right now would be to ask what someone else would do in that situation. He was cornered, he had Bon with him, what would a decent person do?"

"They'd try to get them both somewhere safe." Oriya answered for him.

"Exactly! So where would be somewhere safe for Muraki?"

"With no memories?" Tatsumi asked.

"Oh, yeah…" Watari trailed off, deflating a little.

"The hospital?" Oriya offered.

"I doubt it. That's where that shadow thing first appeared, I don't think that Muraki would consider the hospital all that safe."

"And that shadow thing followed us." Tsuzuki interjected quietly. "It followed us from the hospital."

"No." Corrected Watari. "It followed Muraki."

"So we will have to go look for them." Tatsumi said. "We can't just wait here, it's not as if they will just knock on the door."

A young woman came into the dining room and bowed to Oriya, "Please excuse me for interrupting Oriya-san."

He waved her over "What is it Kya-kun?"

"Muraki-sensei is at the door with a young boy."

The young woman grew flustered as she became the recipient of four intense gazes. Without another word, all four men jumped to their feet and rushed out of the room, leaving the confused girl looking after them.

Tsuzuki reached the door first, and the relief he felt at seeing his partner looking whole and unharmed was overwhelming. He threw himself on the younger man. "Thank the gods you're okay!"

"Get off me Tsuzuki!" Hisoka said blushing to the roots of his hair, but there was no real bite to his words, in fact he quickly returned the spontaneous hug.

Tatsumi and Watari came up to the pair.

"Bon!"

"You're alright Kurosaki-kun?"

"Aa." Hisoka disengaged himself from Tsuzuki. "We're fine."

Everyone's eyes turned to Muraki, who looked a little uncomfortable.

Oriya moved forward and took the man's arm, leading him away from the door. "Come on Muraki, there's breakfast made…" His voice faded out as he led Muraki down the hall.

Muraki looked back over his shoulder as he was dragged away, in time to see Hisoka tolerate another embrace from the violet eyed man. The possessive feeling flared.

'Mine'

Green eyes met silver and narrowed.

**XXX**

To say that Hisoka looked disturbed was an understatement.

The four Shinigami sat in Oriya's garden while Tatsumi and Watari filled the Kyushu pair in on their speculations and conclusions.

"So it's all Muraki." Tsuzuki summed up.

"Essentially, yes." Watari confirmed.

"So how do we kill it?" Hisoka asked, drawing shocked looks from the others.

"Kill it?" Watari asked.

"That shadow thing. If we can destroy that thing, then we are left with only the good part of Muraki, no more evil doctor, just Kazutaka."

"That would indeed be ideal." Tatsumi agreed, "But how do you kill an emotion?"


	13. Chapter 13

Well, I'm back again.

I feel the need to put a little warning here, suffering Tatsumi ahead!

You have been warned.

So, I own nothing but the pokey that I have already finished.

**Chapter 12**

Tsuzuki sat backwards on the chair, his hands rested on the back and his chin rested on his hands. "Please Hisoka!"

His partner sat perched on the edge of one of the infirmary beds glaring daggers at the older man. "Baka, I told you I'm fine. We should have stayed at the Kokakuro."

Watari shook his head. "Tatsumi will take care of it, If that shadow thing shows up again he's the best suited to deal with it. Besides, both you and Tsuzuki need some down time."

"Right." Said Tsuzuki, nodding sagely, "So you should get checked out."

"He said down time, not a physical, I'm fine!"

"He looks fine to me." Watari interjected as he puttered around the room. "But how do you really feel Bon?"

Hisoka considered for a moment. "Hungry." It had been almost two days since he'd eaten anything after all.

"If I go down to the break room and get you something will you please let Watari look you over?" Tsuzuki asked, his eyes wide and pleading.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Hisoka's voice dripped with annoyance.

"No." Completely serious, Tsuzuki leaned forward. "I could hear you screaming 'Soka, in the last couple of days we've been attacked twice by that shadow thing, and I know that it hurts you, so please, let Watari check you over, just to make me feel better."

Hisoka let out a long suffering sigh. "Alright, but you better bring me food, I'm starved."

Tsuzuki nodded eagerly and jumped up off the chair.

"And nothing with sugar in it!"

Tsuzuki nodded again as he opened the door, narrowly avoiding the small ball of feathers that flew into the room circling and hooting loudly before finding her regular perch on Watari's shoulder.

"003!" Watari gave the little owl a pat and she nipped his ear affectionately, "I missed you too girl!"

Watari looked over as the door closed behind Tsuzuki, then move to the chair that the other man had vacated. Sitting down, he offered Hisoka a warm smile. "So how are you _really_ feeling?"

Hisoka shot the older man a dirty look. "Not you too, I am totally fine!"

Watari leaned forward, a more serious expression showing on his face. "Not physically, I know your fine. But you seem to be getting pretty close to Muraki, are you okay?"

Hisoka blanched. "I'm okay."

"You like him?"

"Not like that!" Hisoka scowled at the blonde scientist. "It's just that Kazutaka is so different than the man who…" He paused, rubbing his forehead. "Killed me. He feels different and the emotions that I feel from him, they…"

"They what?"

"They sometimes feel a little like the emotions that I get from Tsuzuki." Hisoka looked up into the amber eyes, frowning.

Watari could see the confusion in the youths' face, it was probably mirrored in his own. "How's that?"

"Protective, warm…and, Oh I don't know, Kazutaka's feelings are more possessive, but Tsuzuki's are stronger, when I can pick up on them."

"So how does that make you feel?" Watari asked.

"Since when are you my therapist?" Hisoka glared.

Watari grinned. "New calling. I could always use another area of expertise." He leaned even closer, concern showing in his gaze. "You realize though, that Kazutaka is not a separate person, he is still Muraki, and you need to remember that."

Green eyes shifted away. "Yes, I know." He said softly.

"There's something else Bon."

Hisoka looked back questioningly.

"I don't know what happened during that last attack, but something really disturbed Tsuzuki, do you know what it was?"

Hisoka shook his head. "I was pretty out of it for the last attack, but I'll see if I can find out."

"Good." Watari got back to his feet. "So how about I look you over quick before Tsuzuki gets back, then we can both tell him that you're fine."

**XXX**

Tatsumi spent most of the day staying as far away from Muraki as he was able to without actually leaving the building. Until they found a way to defeat the shadow creature it was imperative that they protect Muraki from it. Unless they wanted the evil doctor back dogging their footsteps.

It was ironic, they were in essence, protecting the man from himself.

But they did need to take care of that thing, it had drained innocent people's souls to the point that they had been unable to travel to Meifu, and probably would continue to do so if it was not stopped.

Tatsumi wondered idly why it had not drained any souls recently, was it because Muraki was fully healed? Then why was it still around?

He shook his head. These were questions that were probably best put to Watari.

"Hey."

Tatsumi looked up to see Oriya standing in the doorway of the small sitting room that he had retreated to, holding a cup of tea.

"Here." Oriya walked over and thrust the cup into Tatsumi's hands. "You look a little stressed."

Tatsumi gazed at the man dispassionately. "Hardly."

Oriya had the nerve to grin. "So you mean to tell me you're always this uptight?"

"I'm not uptight, I'm just…controlled." Tatsumi countered.

"Please, if you got any stiffer you'd break in half." Oriya motioned to the cup. "Drink up, it'll help."

Tatsumi shot the man a malevolent glare, but with a grin worthy of Watari, Oriya let the evil look roll off him. Tatsumi took a sip of the tea and found that it tasted pleasantly minty. He looked up at Oriya, who just waved his finger as he left the room.

"Enjoy!"

Tatsumi leaned back in his seat and continued to drink the tea and felt himself beginning to relax. Gazing out through the window overlooking Oriya's garden he could almost forget that he was there on business.

Until that business walked into the room.

The doctor wandered to the window apparently not noticing the shinigami seated in the chair behind him.

Tatsumi felt the tension return to his body, the hand gripping the teacup tightened, and his features pulled down in a slight frown as he observed the other man.

Muraki looked out at the garden, taking a drag off of his cigarette, heexhaled. Without turning around he spoke. "It's a lovely view, isn't it?"

Tatsumi didn't feel the need to respond.

"You don't like me much do you?" Muraki asked.

"Was I that obvious?" Tatsumi responded mildly, not bothering to hide his distaste.

"Why?" Muraki finally turned from the window, giving the shinigami his complete attention. So far, no one had been willing to tell him much about the man he used to be and he felt that if nothing else, this man would be brutally honest with him.

Emphasis on the brutally.

Tatsumi's cobalt blue eyes flashed. "Since we've known you, you have done nothing but harass and torment my friends and co-workers, you very nearly drove Tsuzuki to suicide. Kurosaki says that you're different now, but that doesn't change what you have done in the past. In fact, I consider the fact that Kurosaki-kun is willing to get anywhere near you as a testament to his strength and courage. I personally would be happier if you just dropped off the face of the planet."

Muraki leaned away, as if to escape the venom in the secretary's voice.

Thinking of Tsuzuki clinging to him, blaming himself for the loss of a life that Muraki had killed, Hisoka's death, the curse marks that even in death pained him and tied him to this man, of Tsuzuki sitting calmly in the midst of Touda's flames, he was more than prepared to continue his verbal assault on this man he that he hated so much when he felt something that stopped him cold.

A shift in the shadows around them.

"Get out." He said to Muraki.

Muraki raised one brow quizzically. "What?"

"Get out." Darkness was beginning to seep into the room from every crack and fissure. It pooled and moved on its own. "Now."

Muraki's eyes widened as he realized what held the shadow master's attention. He slowly backed out of the room.

The darkness throbbed and twisted, uncoiling towards the pale man.

Concentration showed on Tatsumi's face as he reached out and grasped at the shadowy mass with his abilities. A grimace touched his features. It felt a little like a shadow to him, oilier, thicker, and corrupted and his control over it was sluggish, and it resisted him. He found it unnerving to say the least, he had never had a shadow fight back against him before.

And that's exactly what this thing was doing. With Muraki gone from the room, the solid darkness focused on him and was slowly surrounding him, despite his efforts to keep it under control.

Tatsumi tried to call forth other shadows to protect himself, but the mass of living darkness had invaded every available shadow in the room, and for the first time, the shadow master found himself almost defenceless.

Tatsumi reached deep inside of himself and called up every available reserve. The kagetsukai was powerful, but deprived of his natural weapons, he was slowly loosing ground. The dark mass descended upon him and he felt the solid weight of it pressing against him. He pushed back against it, but his concentration faltered with the audible snap of a bone breaking. The second snap brought a cry from his lips, and several more sent him spiralling into unconsciousness.

**XXX**

It was late afternoon when Watari returned to Chiju. He had left the Kyushu pair dozing in the infirmary. He kinda wished he could stay just to see Hisoka's reaction when he realized that his partner had cuddled up to him on the infirmary bed before drifting off.

Watari chuckled to himself as he envisioned the fireworks that he would sadly be missing.

His amusement died as he approached the Kokakuro.

The entire building seemed to radiate darkness.

"Tatsumi!"

Watari's feet were suddenly flying as he ran full out towards the place where he had last seen his friend. Without a moment to consider the consequences, he burst through the door and stopped.

The Kokakuro appeared to be deserted. Everything was set up in preparation for dinner, but it was if everyone had just dropped everything and left.

"Tatsumi! Oriya! Is anybody here?" His voice echoed through the empty restaurant.

Watari was about to turn around when he thought he heard a low moan. Moving farther into the building He paused and after a moment he heard it again.

Moving again, faster this time, Watari hurried up a flight of stairs and called out again once he reached the upper hallway. "Tatsumi!"

"Watari?"

The voice was so faint that he could barley hear it, but it was enough to turn him in the right direction.

"I'm coming! Hang on Tatsumi!"

He ran down the hall and stopped when he came to a door that looked like it had been beaten down with a battering ram. Inside the room was total devastation, furniture was crushed and splintered, there were deep gouges in the walls and floor, shattered and twisted bric a brac was scattered throughout the mess, and in the center of it all…

Oh gods!

"Tatsumi!" Watari breathed his eyes wide. The man looked, for want of a better word, pulverized.

Watari rushed into the room and knelt by his side. Very gently, he touched Tatsumi's arm.

The soft contact was enough to elicit a moan of pain from the man.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Watari muttered as he carefully lifted the secretary's head and shoulders into his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" He whimpered as the action drew more pained sounds from his friend.

Trying to brace the injured man as best as he could, he transported the both of them back to Meifu.


	14. Chapter 14

I am so sorry that this chapter took so long! This story is getting hard to write, I think it was easier when I didn't know what was happening!

And thank you to everyone who has not given up on me yet! (Hi Daily!)

One of these days I will finally manage to write a Tsuoka moment that I like, but today is not that day.

So, as always, I own diddly!

**Chapter 13**

Hisoka lay with his head propt on his arm in the infirmary bed, looking at his sleeping partner.

In sleep Tsuzuki's face was relaxed and peaceful as Hisoka studied his features, and oh so slowly, as if he would shatter if Tsuzuki so much as moved, Hisoka reached out and gently brushed the strands of chocolate brown hair away from closed eyes.

Tsuzuki did move then, turning his head slightly into the contact. Hisoka's heart started to pound in his chest as he pulled his hand backandheld his breath, afraid his partner would wake up, hoping…

But Tsuzuki just drifted back into a deeper slumber, and Hisoka felt relieved, and disappointed, until he noticed that the expression on Tsuzuki's face had changed slightly.

Where before he had looked peaceful,he nowwore a smile.

Hisoka took in that unguarded and completely real smile, and since there was no one around to see, he returned it.

Feeling that for that one moment that all was right with the world, Hisoka watched over the older man as he slept.

He was just beginning to drift off to sleep himself when he heard a slight popping sound.

Tsuzuki sat bolt upright and looked around, slightly disorientated, and Hisoka followed suit, looking around for the new arrival that the popping sound heralded.

Not too far from the bed they shared, Watari was sitting on the floor half supporting the still form of the shadow master, Tatsumi Seiichiro.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" Watari was babbling softly, seeming to be in shock himself. He looked up at the figures on the bed. "Help me!"

Before the words were out of his mouth, Tsuzuki had reached their side and Hisoka marvelled at the man's speed as he started to follow, but stopped at the waves of pain emanating from the man.

"What happened?" Tsuzuki asked as he looked down at his former partner.

"I don't know, I don't know! But we have to help him! Can you help me get him to a bed?"

Tsuzuki nodded and helped Watari lift Tatsumi as gently as possible.

"Thank god he's out of it!" Watari began to undo the suit jacket that Tatsumi wore. "Otherwise he would be in a lot of pain."

"He's not unconscious."

Both Watari and Tsuzuki turn to see that Hisoka had backed himself into a corner of the room, pressed against the wall, the empath looked strained.

"He awake and aware and…can't you give him something Watari?"

Watari looked at the unmoving man on the bed, an expression of dawning horror on his face. "He's awake! Oh Gods!" Watari flew across the room and pulled open a cabinet, rummaging inside he came back with a syringe and a vial of clear fluid. "Tatsumi, I'm going to give you something to help with the pain and put you to sleep. You'll feel much better when you wake up, I promise." He quickly filled the syringe and after the customary tap, slid the needle into Tatsumi's arm.

A few minutes passed before Hisoka slumped into the corner in relief. "It's getting better."

Watari let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Sapphire eyes opened. "Watari?"

Both Watari and Tsuzuki jumped at the unexpected sound.

The blonde scientist knelt down close to the bed. "You should let yourself sleep Tatsumi, you'll heal faster if you do" He flashed a slightly strained grin. "The quicker you heal, the sooner you can get back to cutting our budgets."

"What happened to Muraki?" The secretary's eyes began to drift down as the drugWatari had given him didits job.

"We'll find out."

Watari looked up into Tsuzuki's violet eyes and nodded.

**XXX**

"Dammit all!" Oriya swore. "I can't believe this is happening! I swear Muraki, trouble just seems to follow you around!"

"Oriya."

"And somehow I still seem to get the short end of the stick!"

"Oriya…"

"Who knows what kind of condition the Kokakuro is going to be in when I get back there! I had to send all my girls away! How am I supposed to make a living when I have to flee from my own restaurant at a moments notice?"

"Oriya!"

"What?"

"Are you done yet?"

"Hell no! I'm just getting started!"

Muraki sighed as he lowered himself on to one of the beds of the hotel room that Oriya had deemed far enough away from the Kokakuro to be 'safe'. "I'm sorry Oriya."

Oriya snorted. "I've heard that before."

"Have you?" Muraki raised one fine eyebrow. "Somehow I got the impression that I was not the type of person who would apologize for inconveniencing others."

Oriya ran his hand through his hair. "You weren't, but we were friends, and you had some consideration for me, if only a little." Oriya move to sit across from Muraki on the other bed. For a moment he just studied the other man, then the side of his mouth quirked upwards. "You know, I wasn't kidding when I said that loosing your memory may have been the best thing that ever happened to you. You have a real chance now, to let go of your past and really do something with your life!"

"Was my past that bad?" Muraki asked levelly.

Oriya winced. "Bad enough, you're better off without it."

Muraki pulled out a cigarette and lit it, watching the glowing tip. "It's rather a moot point if that shadow creature continues to follow me, isn't it." He closed his eyes and thought back to when he had backed out of the small sitting room, Before Oriya had grabbed his arm and ran from the establishment, yelling at everyone to get out, dragging him with him. He had seen the dark tendrils reaching for him, restrained by the blue eyed man who only moments earlier had told him more about himself in minutes then he had learned since waking up in the hospital.

So he had almost driven Tsuzuki Asato to suicide, he wondered briefly why.

And what the man had said about the boy, he had seen the lines of the curse carved into the pale flesh, he knew what they meant, and he knew that he was responsible. He had actually killed Kurosaki Hisoka.

And he had probably done worse.

Small wonder the boy had seemed afraid of him.

Oriya watched to subtle change in Muraki's features and decided that he probably wouldn't like the direction his friend's thoughts were taking. "If everything your life has thrown at you so far hasn't taken you out, I doubt a little shadow is enough to do the job."

Muraki looked up, looking a little surprised to be pulled out of his reverie.

Oriya grinned. "So what do you want for dinner?"

**XXX**

Tsuzuki and Hisoka arrived on Chiju just in front of the Kokakuro.

"Should we look inside?" Tsuzuki asked, looking up at the building, frowning.

Hisoka shook his head. "No, there's no one inside." He knelt down and placed his hand on the path. After a moment he sighed in frustration. "Too many people came this way and they were all afraid. I can't sense Oriya or Kazutaka, but I can't sense Muraki either."

"What do you mean?"

"If Kazutaka had his memory back, was his old self again, his presence would override the other feelings here, I would be able to sense him, so they must have gotten away from that shadow thing." Hisoka stood up and brushed his hand off on his jeans. "At least for the moment."

Tsuzuki nodded. "Okay, so let's go look for them."

"Where?" Hisoka looked up dubiously.

"Well, they had to go somewhere and Oriya doesn't seem like the type who would camp out to me, and somehow I doubt they plan to come back tonight. So let's start checking hotels in the area."

Hisoka looked surprised. "That's a good idea!"

"Of course it is!" Tsuzuki said looking pleased with himself. "Even I have good ideas once in a while!"

"Baka!" Hisoka turned and started away but before he'd gone more than three steps he stopped. Hissing softly, his entire body went rigid.

Tsuzuki quickly moved to his partner's side. "What's wrong?"

"It feels like that hallway in the ICU. Not as strong, but it's there."

Tsuzuki looked around, his hand moving for a fuda, but he stopped when Hisoka touched his arm.

"It's not here, but I can probably follow it."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tsuzuki asked, concern showing in his face and his voice.

"Not really, but it'll be faster than calling every hotel in Kyoto if it can lead us to Kazutaka. Once we're close enough, I should be able to find him, hopefully before it can."

"And at least we'll be forewarned of the next attack." The older shinigami conceded.

Hisoka nodded, and setting a brisk pace headed away from the Kokakuro.

Tsuzuki watched as his partner moved away from him and his guts twisted as he was overcome by a feeling of foreboding.

"Tsuzuki, come on!" Green eyes looked back at him impatiently.

"Hisoka, I…"

"Tsuzuki!"

Tsuzuki pushed the feeling to the back of his mind, and resolving to keep his guard up, hurried after his partner.


	15. Chapter 15

Gomen ne! I didn't mean to take so long to get this out, I hope it's worth the wait!

My computer died, and the plot decided to take a weird twist on me and disappear entirely.

Oddly enough, I think I write better that way.

So enjoy!

Oh yes…beware of the evil cliffy! (Hey Kiko, I think I out did myself on this one!)

**Chapter 14**

Muraki stepped out of the hotel into the night. With Oriya asleep, Muraki felt a need just to get out and think. For the first time since leaving the hospital he had a quiet moment to him self. Things had been happening too fast since he first woke up.

He wanted to plan. Too much of his life at the moment seemed to be a quirk of circumstance and he longed for a bit of control over what was happening to him, if not what was happening around him.

'It's time to bring things in line.' He thought to himself. 'I have knowledge and resources, I should be able to do something…'

His steps carried him away from the hotel, but Muraki paid almost no attention to his surroundings. He paused briefly at a red light before crossing the street into a large lightly wooded park where he continued to walk, a white shadow among the trees.

**XXX**

It was late, but the moon and the streetlights provided enough light to see by as Tsuzuki trailed after Hisoka, thanking every deity he could think of for long legs, otherwise his partner's brisk pace would have left him behind long ago. He still felt uneasy and hoped that they could find Muraki quickly and…then what? Briefly Tsuzuki wondered if they could take Muraki back to Meifu for his protection the way they had Hijiri. Could the shadow creature follow them there?

They'd been walking for hours when Hisoka abruptly stopped, Tsuzuki, lost in his musings, just narrowly avoided running into his back. Hisoka looked back at the older man, giving him withering glare for his clumsiness.

"What is it?" Tsuzuki asked.

Hisoka shook his head. "This doesn't feel right. I can feel the shadow thing, but it doesn't feel like it's ahead of us anymore."

Concern flittered over Tsuzuki's face. "What do you mean?"

"It's like…" Hisoka paused, trying to figure out how to put what he felt into words. "Like it suddenly diffused and went everywhere. I can feel it lightly all around us."

Tsuzuki's concern solidified into alarm.

"And I can sense Kazutaka ahead of us."

"How far?"

"Not too far, but in order to get to where he is we'll have to walk where the shadow thing feels stronger."

Tsuzuki looked mildly confused. "Does that make sense?"

Hisoka shrugged. "We have to get to Kazutaka. I just hope we can get to him before that thing decides to attack again."

Tsuzuki frowned, and for the smallest fraction of a second considered picking up his partner and getting them the hell out of there, leaving Muraki to whatever fate might have in store for him. He sighed. "Alright, let's go, but keep your fudas ready."

Hisoka nodded and with only a moment's hesitation began walking forward again, at a much slower pace.

Tsuzuki followed. "Hisoka?" He asked softly.

"What?"

"Well, that shadow thing is the embodiment of Muraki's negative emotions, right? "

Hisoka nodded.

"And if we want to keep Muraki the way he is now, we have to destroy it, right? "

Hisoka nodded again.

"So, how do you kill an emotion?"

The question floored Hisoka in a way that it hadn't when Tatsumi had asked it rhetorically back at the Kokakuro and he stumbled slightly in his pace. "I don't know if you can." He stated and thought about it.

The emotions that he felt from other people flowed into him, the hatred that his family had inflicted upon him had never died, it was still there, a part of him. As was the fear that Muraki had introduced him to, and the self revulsion, and anger. All these emotions were still a part of him and he'd never found a way to kill them, as much as he'd like to. For a moment he wished he could do what Kazutaka had done and push out all the hurtful emotions and just keep the good ones, like the hope that Tsuzuki gave him, the affection and …caring.

Hisoka shook his head ruefully at his own silly thoughts. Even if he could push them out or push them down, the feelings would still be there, like a festering wound, like a shadow that never left your side…

"Look there!"

Hisoka turned to see Tsuzuki pointing off into the distance. He looked in the direction his partner pointed and saw a white figure moving through the trees.

Pulling out a fuda and gripping it tightly in his hand Hisoka took off at a sprint, heading towards the white figure.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Hisoka didn't pause, the darkness was beginning to convalesce around the wandering form. He could hear Tsuzuki behind him running to catch up.

"Kazutaka!"

The man stopped and looked around, surprise showing in his pale eyes at the sight of the familiar youth running towards him at high speed. Pulled out of his own thoughts Kazutaka finally noticed that the night around him had grown darker.

Kazutaka's eyes widened as he realized the danger he was in, the darkness swept in towards him and a red glow formed around Kazutaka's body as he shielded himself from the attack. The living shadow struck him forcefully and he was thrown to the ground. His head connected with something hard and he knew no more.

Hisoka put on a burst of speed as he saw Kazutaka fall, his head striking a rock. The red glow around him faded. The shadow creature pulled back and once again began to descend as Hisoka skidded to a halt in front of the unconscious man. Holding his fuda, Hisoka threw up the strongest barrier that he was able, and braced himself.

**XXX**

Tatsumi opened his eyes and blinked. Biting down the urge to moan, he carefully moved his limbs trying to feel the extent of his injuries. Flashes of pain assured him that he was in no condition to go anywhere for a while.

"Oi, Tatsumi, you shouldn't try to move yet."

Tatsumi turned his head fractionally to see amber eyes watching him closely. "Watari?" His voice sound hoarse in his own ears.

The normally genki scientist gave him a slightly strained smile. "You need to rest. It takes a lot of energy to heal from injuries as bad as yours were, do you think you feel up to eating something?"

Tatsumi nodded fractionally. "I think I could handle that."

Watari's smile brightened. "Good! I'll be right back."

**XXX**

Torn from a deep sleep, Oriya bolted up in bed. Feeling mildly disorientated, he looked around the room to get his bearings. His eyes fell on the empty bed across from his own.

"Muraki?"

There was no response from the empty room.

Hurrying out of bed, Oriya grabbed his kimono. Propelled by a growing sense of urgency, Oriya left the hotel room at a near run.

**XXX**

Tsuzuki watched in horror as the amorphous darkness descended on his partner and the doctor, shattering the shield that Hisoka had raised. His partner threw up arms defensively and there was a flash as his defensive powers flared. The dark mass seemed to hang suspended in the air for just a moment before it crashed down on the pair.

"Hisoka!" Tsuzuki almost stumbled but he forced his legs to keep moving, he could no longer see Hisoka or the doctor through the darkness that has enveloped them. As he got closer he realized that the darkness was shrinking. For some reason this spurred his anxiety to greater heights.

"Hisoka!" He desperately prayed for a response from his partner.

The deep darkness receded to nothing as Tsuzuki reached the spot where Hisoka and Muraki had fallen. Hisoka lay out cold across Muraki's prone form. Tsuzuki grabbed Hisoka's shoulders and pulled him up giving him a quick shake.

"Hisoka! Wake up!"

There was no response and Hisoka slumped forward in his hands. Tsuzuki swore softly and gathered the younger shinigami into his arms.

"What happened?"

Tsuzuki whirled around at the new voice to see Oriya hurrying towards them.

"I don't know yet." Tsuzuki told him, getting to his feet holding Hisoka in his arms. "That shadow creature attacked again and disappeared."

"Does that mean…" _That Muraki is back to the way he was?_ Oriya let the silent question hang in the air.

Tsuzuki shrugged. "There's no way to know until he wakes up."

Oriya knelt by Muraki's side and lightly tapped Muraki's cheek. "Come on, wake up."

Muraki blinked. "Oriya?"

Oriya gifted him with a relived smile. "How are you feeling?"

Muraki sat up and put one hand to head. "Head hurts, what happened?" He looked around and his eyes fell on Tsuzuki holding Hisoka's unconscious body in his arm. Concern flashed across his face. "What happened to the bouya?"

Tsuzuki involuntarily tightened his hold on his partner. "We don't know yet. Are you…" He trailed off, unsure how to phrase his question.

"Am I what Tsuzuki-san?"

Tsuzuki shivered, hearing Muraki say his name sent a cold chill down his spine. "Do you remember anything?"

Muraki seemed to realize what Tsuzuki was asking and shook his head. "I don't remember anything before waking up in the hospital, and I don't feel any different than I did then."

"Then what happened to that shadow thing?" Oriya asked.

Tsuzuki's violet eyes widened as a horrifying thought occurred to him and he looked at the still form in his arms.

_Other people's emotions flow inside me against my will._ Hisoka had told him that once.

Empath.

"Oh god, no!"


	16. Chapter 16

I finished this chapter pretty quick, even for me, yay me!

Um, a little warning for cruelty to Tatsumi, again.

And thanks to everyone for the great response on the last chapter, I hope I prove to be as evil as I'm accused of being (evil grin)

So enjoy!

And as always, I own nothing but the idea, and even that's up for debate.

**Chapter 15**

Too much.

His world was flooded in waves of anger, hatred and pain.

It was too much.

He was drowning in emotions that were too strong for him and he felt his mind buckle under the oppressive weight.

All around him, through him was darkness.

_Help me…_

_Tsuzuki…_

**XXX**

Tsuzuki laid the unresponsive form of his partner gently in the bed in the hotel room where Muraki and Oriya had been staying. A wave of guilt and helplessness washed over him. "I'm sorry 'Soka." He said as he brushed blonde hair away from the boy's face.

"Sorry for what?" Muraki asked him watching the pair with a veiled expression on his face.

Tsuzuki shot Muraki a glance that was marginally warmer than the polar ice caps before focusing his attention back on the silent youth. "You don't need to be here. Why don't you and Oriya-san head back to the Kokakuro. It should be safe enough now."

He didn't see the anger and determination that flashed in Muraki's eyes. "I'm not leaving." He announced. "Not before we know that the bouya will be alright."

Oriya wisely stood in a corner, his arms folded across his chest, keeping his mouth shut.

Muraki felt the violet gaze bore into him as the man turned back to face him.

"Why?" Tsuzuki asked.

Muraki floundered. He didn't think Tsuzuki would appreciate it if he told the man that the boy was _his._ No, the violet eyed man would definitely not be happy to know of the possessive feelings he felt towards the boy. Possessiveness or…? Muraki shrugged, as much in response to his own thoughts as to Tsuzuki's question. "The bouya risked himself for me and I would like to be assured that the price was not too high."

Tsuzuki met the doctor's determined eyes and shook his head. "No, I'm going to take him back to Meifu. We would have gone already but I didn't think it was a good idea to leave you and Oriya in that park in the middle of the night." He met Muraki's steady gaze. "And you can't follow us there."

Muraki sat down on the other bed and crossed his legs, not breaking eye contact with Tsuzuki. '_But that's not true, is it?_' He thought. _'I can feel the lines of the curse linking me to the bouya, I can go where ever he goes, and I think you know it too, don't you?_

Tsuzuki's eyes shifted away as if he could hear the other man's thoughts. When Tsuzuki's eyes returned to meet his own again, Muraki could swear he saw a plea deep in the amethyst pools. _So lovely._ With a sigh he relented. "Very well, we'll return to the Kokakuro, but you will send us news of how the bouya's fairing, won't you?"

Tsuzuki hesitated for a moment then nodded. "Aa. I'll send someone to let you know what happens."

Muraki smiled. "I'd appreciated that."

**XXX**

Watari watched as Tatsumi fell back into slumber and settled himself into a somewhat comfy chair by the bed. The injured shinigami needed to eat every few hours to regain his strength and aid in the healing process, and if Tatsumi didn't wake when Watari thought he should, the blonde was fully prepared to wake him up.

Watari had just started to doze lightly when he felt a prickle in the back of his neck, alerting him to another presence in the room. He turned his head to see Tsuzuki standing in the doorway of the infirmary carrying his partner.

"Watari?"

"Tsuzuki? What happened?" Watari asked as he got out of his chair and crossed the room to get a closer look at the youth in Tsuzuki's arm. The delicate features were pale and pinched.

"That shadow thing attacked again, and I think it's gone into Hisoka."

"What!"

Tatsumi stirred in his bed at Watari's near shout and Watari looked over at his patient anxiously, letting out a small sigh of relief as the secretary settled back into sleep.

"Put him here Tsuzuki." Watari gestured to a bed across the room from Tatsumi. "That way you can sit with him without driving Tatsumi up a wall."

Tsuzuki laid Hisoka in the bed and immediately took a seat next to the bed. "It's my fau..."

Watari cut him off. "Don't even start with me! I know what you're going to say and I know better. The only one who blames you is you, so cut it out right now!"

Tsuzuki blinked. "It's just…I should have listened to my instincts."

"Maybe, but even you can't see the future Tsuzuki."

Tsuzuki sighed. "I guess so."

Watari snorted. "Before you get to comfortable there, why don't you go get cleaned up and change? You are a bit of a mess."

Tsuzuki looked down at Hisoka. "But…"

"No buts. He'll probably be out for a while."

Tsuzuki grinned ruefully "Okay, I'll be back soon.

Watari followed him to the door. "I wonder…"

"What?"

"Well, you think he absorbed that shadow thing, I wonder if it was involuntary, or if he did it on purpose."

""Why would Hisoka absorb that thing on purpose, he told me he was afraid to let it touch him after the first time we fought it."

Watari shrugged. "Yeah, well Bon does tend to be a bit self-sacrificing when he's protecting someone."

Tsuzuki thought about it, about the way Hisoka had let himself be practically butchered to protect Hijiri, the way he had braved Touda's flames for him, but to think that Hisoka would put himself on the line to protect the man who killed him…"It was probably involuntary."

Watari shrugged again. "Either way it doesn't really matter, the end result is the same." He gave the elder shinigami a gentle push. "Go, I'll wait here 'til you get back."

Turning back into the infirmary Watari went over to Tatsumi's bedside to get the chair he place there, intent on moving it to a place where he would have a better vantage place for watching both his patients. He looked over at the sleeping man to see that he wasn't quite sleeping. Sapphire blue eyes were silently observing him.

"Tatsumi! You're awake!"

Tatsumi arched a brow at him. "Apparently." He deadpanned.

"Well, while you're up…"

Tatsumi sighed and very patiently waited for Watari to finish poking and prodding him to his hearts content.

Watari brushed his hands against each other when he finished checking Tatsumi over. "Well, the good news is that you'll be up and about in a day or two and browbeating into good behaviour as usual."

Tatsumi grimaced. "If you had any common sense, I wouldn't have to browbeat you into behaving yourself."

Watari looked mildly affronted. "I have plenty of common sense!" He smiled. "I just choose to ignore it!"

Tatsumi snorted and let his eyes wander around the room until they fell on the bed across from his own. "Is that… Kurosaki-kun?"

Watari looked back at his other patient. "Aa."

"What happened?"

Watari sighed. "He and Tsuzuki went looking for Kazutaka after I brought you back. There was another attack and according to Tsuzuki, bon seems to have absorbed the shadow thing into himself."

Sapphire eyes widened. "Damn."

Watari nodded "Yeah, something like that."

"How is Tsuzuki handling this?"

"As well as can be expected."

Tatsumi made a move as if he were planning to get out of the bed, but Watari pushed him back down. "Oh no you don't! I said you're better, but you're not fully recovered yet. Look, if it will keep you put, I'll bring you something to do, and you can judge for yourself how Tsuzuki is when he comes back."

"Did I hear my name?" The violet eyed man walked into the room and smiled to see Tatsumi awake. "Hey Tatsumi! How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you Tsuzuki-san. How are you holding up?"

The smile faded from Tsuzuki's face, he glanced over his shoulder at the motionless body on the bed and his lower lip trembled slightly. "I've been better." Forcing a tremulous smile for Tatsumi, Tsuzuki turned and took his place at his partners' side. He leaned over and whispered something in Hisoka's ear, then lifted one of the limp hands into his own.

It was the last move he made for several hours.

**XXX**

Tatsumi looked through the paper work that Watari had brought for him, with the warning not to overwork and rest if he got tired. The room was quiet, it had been quite while Tsuzuki was there of course, with Hisoka's condition still unsure, Tsuzuki was not his usual boisterous self, but the sorrow and guilt that bled from the man was practically palatable and it was a relief when Kanoe had come to the infirmary and dragged Tsuzuki away to give his report. Tatsumi's gaze strayed from the papers to the still form in the bed across from his. He gave himself a mental shake. He tried to focus on the accounts, but the numbers blurred and moved on the page. He set the paper aside in annoyance. _Maybe later. _He put his glasses aside and settled himself down in the bed.

A movement caught his attention and he sat back up. "Kurosaki-kun?"

Hisoka was sitting upright in his bed, green eyes large and empty. He didn't seem to hear Tatsumi call his mane. Slowly he turned and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Tatsumi tried again.

Hisoka got to his feet and wavered unsteadily before heading for the door of the infirmary.

Ignoring the ache in his limbs and body, Tatsumi slid out of his own bed and moved after the youth as quickly as he was able. "Kurosaki-kun, where do you think you're going?" His words came out a bit sharper than he intended.

Hisoka stopped where he was, but didn't turn to face the other man. "Go back to bed Tatsumi-san."

Tatsumi had heard Hisoka at his iciest, but this new level of menace in the boy's voice sent a chill straight down his spine, still, he couldn't just allow Hisoka to leave. "Why don't you go back to bed as well? Tsuzuki will be back soon and…"

Hisoka finally turned and looked up at him and whatever he had been about to say was forgotten. The menace that had been in his voice was echoed in his eyes. "I am leaving, now. Don't interfere."

Tatsumi's eyes widened as he realized that he had actually retreated a step in response to the youth's threat. "Kurosaki-kun…" He reached out and placed a restraining hand on Hisoka's shoulder.

Hisoka whirled around, eyes flashing and Tatsumi felt a force slam into him. He was thrown across the infirmary, slamming into the wall hard enough to re-break recently healed bones.

Hisoka regarded the slumped form of his superior coldly. "I told you not to interfere." For the third time Hisoka headed for the door. "No one is going to stop me."

As darkness claimed Tatsumi's senses, he heard Hisoka repeat his declaration.

"No one."


	17. Chapter 17

A quick note to Link: I'm not horrible, I'm much worse than that! (Bwahahahahahaha!)

I apologize in advance for any confusion that this chapter may cause.

So as always, Yami is not mine, I wish!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 16**

_It hurts…_

A step.

(angerfustrationcontemptfearHATErageangerdesireconfusion)

_I want…_

Another step.

(miserylustangerhatefearlongingFEARloathingcontemptrage)

_To make it…_

Another step.

(disgustwantfearrevengeneedangerRAGEresentmentfustrationhate)

_STOP!_

Hisoka kept walking, unaware of his surroundings.

(REVENGE)

**XXX**

"What's going on here?" Tsuzuki looked around the infirmary at the empty beds. "Hisoka? Tatsumi?" It was a few minutes later when he found the body of his superior sprawled on the floor against the wall. He hurried to Tatsumi's side, yelling. "Watari! Watari, get in here!"

There was the sound of running feet and Watari burst into the room. "Tsuzuki, what…" he stopped as he saw Tsuzuki kneeling over Tatsumi's prone form. "Dear Enma, what happened?"

Together the two men gently lifted the unconscious secretary and placed him into his bed. Watari started to take invitatory of the new injuries. "From the looks of things he hit the wall pretty hard, but why was he out of bed?" Watari looked around, "And where's Bon."

"He left."

Watari and Tsuzuki both turned back to the man on the bed.

"What do you mean he left?" Tsuzuki asked

Tatsumi moved as if he wanted to sit up and Watari immediately pushed him back down. "Don't move around."

Tatsumi grudgingly complied. "Tsuzuki, you have to go after Kurosaki-kun, he's not himself."

Tsuzuki looked to his partners bed, then over at the place where he'd found Tatsumi lying. His eyes widened as a horrible thought occurred to him. "Tatsumi did Hisoka…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

Tatsumi nodded.

Watari gasped. "Are you saying that it was bon who did this to you?"

Tatsumi nodded again. "We've got to get him back here. He's got something specific in mind and he can't be allowed to carry it out whatever it is. He's not in his right mind."

"Did he say anything about where he was going?" Tsuzuki asked.

"No, he just said no one was going to stop him." Tatsumi frowned. "I didn't realize Kurosaki-kun could sound so cold."

"Tatsumi," Watari smoothed the sheets over the man careful of his injuries. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? Tsuzuki and I will find bon." He raised his head to meet Tsuzuki's eyes and nodded.

The two men left the room so that the secretary could get some rest.

"So where do you think we should start looking? Tsuzuki asked softly.

"I have absolutely no idea." Watari told him. "It would help if we knew bon's mindset, all we can really do is speculate. What emotions did Hisoka absorb with that shadow thing? That might help."

"He absorbed Muraki's emotions, and I can't imagine that any of them were pleasant."

"Okay, but what emotions in particular drove Muraki? What made him do the things he did."

"Well…" Tsuzuki rubbed his forehead. "He had a pretty strong lust for power, maybe anger, hate…"

"Who did he hate?" Watari asked.

It took Tsuzuki several moments to think of an answer. "Um, aside from us?…Saki!"

"Alright, who's Saki?"

"In his lab in Kyoto, he had a head in a large tank, and he called it Saki." Tsuzuki shuttered. "And he seemed to really hate that head."

Watari managed to look both amazed and repulsed. "Maybe we should ask him about it."

Tsuzuki started shaking his head. "No memories, he won't remember."

"Oriya then, maybe he'll know."

Tsuzuki paused and thought about it, then nodded. "I'll go now."

"Wait!" Watari grabbed Tsuzuki's arm as he turned around. "Take one of the Gushoshin with you, and if you need help, call me."

Tsuzuki gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, I will, and I'll bring Hisoka back."

Watari watched as Tsuzuki left.

"God speed!"

**XXX**

"Muraki? Are you up?"

Muraki looked up to see Oriya standing in the doorway of his room. "Aa, I'm up."

"Good, I was going to let you sleep some more, but it's getting late and if you didn't get up now, you'd be up all night."

Muraki grinned.

"Not that that would be anything new." Oriya added.

Muraki chuckled. "After this last week, I'm amazed that I can sleep at all. Has there been any word?"

"No, but it's still too soon. They're probably still trying to figure out what happened."

Muraki sighed as he got up from his futon. "Tsuzuki-san promised to send me word, if I don't hear something soon, I'll go find out what's happened myself."

"Is the bouya that important to you?" Oriya asked. He found it strange that Muraki had seemed to have forgotten his obsession with the violet eyed man when he lost his memories, but still had feelings, good or bad, for his 'doll'.

"Yes, he is that important to me."

"Why?"

"When I was in the hospital, I felt like I was in limbo. Every time I tried to think back farther than a day or two my mind went blank, there was nothing there. When I wondered who I was, there was nothing."

Oriya waited quietly for him to continue.

"And nothing made me feel anything, it was like I was dead inside. I was…" Muraki trailed off, but Oriya knew what he meant to say. _I was afraid._

"Then the bouya was there, and I felt him. Before I saw him, I felt him there, and when I saw him I recognized him. I didn't know from where, but I knew I had a tie to this person." Muraki smiled. "He fainted when he saw me and when I picked him up, it felt right. He was mine, and I'm going to keep him."

Oriya's brow furrowed. "What if he doesn't want you to? What will you do then?"

Muraki gave him an undecipherable look. "I'll cross that bridge when I reach it. I know that I've hurt him in the past…"

"You remember?"

"No, but I've seen the marks on him, and I know that I made them, but he's still willing to be around me, he even protected me. Do you think he hates me?"

"I know he hated who you were."

Muraki flinched at that and looked away. "I can't change who I was or what I did in the past."

"What about Tsuzuki-san?" Oriya asked, not sure he really wanted to hear the answer.

"He's different." Muraki looked back to Oriya, meeting his eyes. "I don't know what happened between the two of us, but it must have been something particularly nasty. There was a fire…?"

Oriya nodded.

"But there's something utterly fascinating about the man, don't you think?"

Oriya shrugged. "If you say so."

"Excuse me Oriya-san."

Oriya turned to see one of his girls behind him in the hallway. "Yes?"

"There's a man in the lobby asking for you."

"Alright, I'll be right there." He turned back to Muraki.

"I'll be down in a little bit." Muraki told him and waved him away.

Oriya nodded and headed for the lobby.

**XXX**

"Oriya-san."

Tsuzuki bowed slightly to the other man as he entered the lobby.

"Tsuzuki-san, you have news?"

Tsuzuki fidgeted. "Hisoka has disappeared."

Oriya looked startled. "Disappeared? How?"

"He injured one of our colleagues and left. We need to find him."

"Well, he didn't come here."

Tsuzuki frowned. "Oriya-san, we need to know how Muraki felt before his accident, what drove him."

"What do you mean?"

"Who's Saki?"

Oriya flinched. "Why do you want to know?"

"The strongest reaction I ever saw from Muraki was when he was talking to that head in his lab, he called it Saki. In all the time I've known him, it's the only time I've really heard him raise his voice, he was practically screaming at that head, so who was Saki, and what did Muraki feel for him, because if those are the emotions that are now affecting Hisoka…" Tsuzuki spread his arms.

Oriya sighed. "Saki was Muraki's half-brother. He killed Muraki's parents and Muraki has spent his life trying to bring Saki back to life so he could have his revenge. He wanted to kill Saki."

"So it was revenge and hate that drove him." Tsuzuki slumped. "So then why wouldn't Hisoka be here, he would have come after Muraki if revenge was all he wanted."

"Maybe there's someone out there who hurt him worse than Muraki did." Oriya suggested.

**XXX**

Hisoka stood looking down at the wide gates and the sprawling mansion behind them.

_I don't want to be here!_

Hisoka clutched his head in his hands, foreign emotions ran through his blood like fire.

(angerfearhaterevengeragedispairangerhate)

_Can't forget…_

He looked back at the mansion.

_Can't forgive…_

He started walking down the path towards the large double doors.

_What they did…_


	18. Chapter 18

Ohyio minna-san.

Before I do anything else I need to say a few things.

At this point I am going to completely disregard the Kurosaki Arc, mostly because I haven't read it! While I know some of what happens, I don't have enough information to include it accurately, so for the purpose of this fic, let's pretend it didn't happen.

Kazutaka is now officially my longest fic, (since it's only my third, that's not really all that impressive!)

What amazes me is I now have over 100 reviews on this story, over 8500 hits. O.O

(And Li-chan said this idea wouldn't work, go figure!)

Um…Wow!

And thank-you, everybody!

**Chapter 17**

"_Hisoka has disappeared."_

Those words stopped Muraki dead just outside the doors leading into the lobby.

"_Disappeared? How?"_

That was Oriya's voice.

"_He injured one of our colleagues and left. We need to find him."_

That had to be Tsuzuki, Muraki leaned forward, trying to see into the lobby without being noticed.

"_Well, he didn't come here."_

Yes, it was Tsuzuki, the violet eyed man was facing Oriya, and…

"_Oriya-san, we need to know how Muraki felt before his accident, what drove him."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Who's Saki?"_

Muraki recoiled, almost hissing as a strong rush of anger ran through him. He didn't recognize the name, but he felt that he should.

"_Why do you want to know?"_

"_The strongest reaction I ever saw from Muraki was when he was talking to that head in his lab, he called it Saki. In all the time I've known him, it's the only time I've really heard him raise his voice, he was practically screaming at that head, so who was Saki, and what did Muraki feel for him, because if those are the emotions that are now affecting Hisoka…"_

Muraki leaned forward again in time to see Tsuzuki spread his arms in a helpless gesture. Oriya sighed.

"_Saki was Muraki's half-brother. He killed Muraki's parents and Muraki has spent his life trying to bring Saki back to life so he could have his revenge. He wanted to kill Saki."_

Muraki blinked…Saki was what? Had he really spent his entire life trying to kill someone who was already dead?

"_So it was revenge and hate that drove him…So then why wouldn't Hisoka be here, he would have come after Muraki if revenge was all he wanted."_

"_Maybe there's someone out there who hurt him worse than Muraki did." _

Muraki stepped back away from the doors, silently he headed down the hall and out the back of the Kokakuro into Oriya's garden.

Walking through the flowering bushes and sakura trees he considered what he had just heard. His life sounded like a bad horror story.

Saki…

_Saki, was it you that killed them?_

What?

_You bastard!_

Muraki shook his head to clear away the voices that seemed to echo around him, he could deal with that bit of madness later. What was important now was what had happened to the bouya.

Muraki smiled to himself grimly, Kurosaki Hisoka was his and he could find him. He closed his eyes and felt for the lines of the curse that bound the younger man to him, it took only moments before he could feel the familiar presence, far away, but there.

Opening his eyes, Muraki turned to leave the garden.

"Muraki!"

_Damn._

Tsuzuki was running towards him, followed closely by Oriya.

"Where do you think you're going?" Oriya asked as the pair drew close.

Muraki smiled slightly. "I have things I need to do."

"Like what?" Tsuzuki asked.

"It's nothing that concerns you Tsuzuki-san." Muraki said lightly, giving the other man a warmer smile.

Tsuzuki wasn't buying it. "You haven't asked how Hisoka's doing." He pointed out.

_Double damn._

"So how is the bouya?"

"Gone, but you already knew that didn't you?" Tsuzuki moved to stand directly in front of him, "and you were leaving. You were going to go after him weren't you?"

Muraki quelled a feeling of mild annoyance. "Yes. I heard what you and Oriya were saying, and if what you said was correct then whatever is affecting the bouya is a consequence of his helping me. I could do no less for him now."

Tsuzuki visibly started at those words. "But…"

"I am going now, if you will excuse me." Muraki moved to step past the violet eyed man.

"Wait."

Muraki turned back to the other man. "What?"

"If you mean what you say, if you really want to help, I know where Hisoka's probably gone. If he didn't come after you, there's only one other place I can think of that he would go."

Tsuzuki had Muraki's full attention. "And where would that be?"

"Kamakura. Hisoka's gone home."

**XXX**

Kurosaki Hisoka stood outside the large front doors of his family's manor, the part of his mind that cried out to leave this cursed place was drowned out and buried under waves of invasive emotions. For a moment he considered knocking on the door, but he dismissed that idea and moved to his left, away from the doors, along the wall of the large building.

It only took a few moments before he reached a small window near the ground and lowered himself to look through it.

He was looking into the cellar of the Kurosaki manor, into the small cell where he had passed a large part of his childhood. Anger and hate twisted in his mind as he looked into the tiny, barred area.

He pushed hard against the window and grunted when he felt it give beneath his weight. Digging his heels into the soft earth he pushed harder and with a loud creak, the window gave and opened.

Hisoka was immediately on the ground, wriggling through the small opening feet first, rather annoyed to find that he still could still fit though it.

Landing softly he crossed the barred cell and pushed against the door, it swung open with little noise, unlocked.

_Why not? After all, the monster is gone…_

Burning rage settled in the back of his mind and an icy sort of calm determination settled over him as he crossed to the stairs leading up to the main floor of the manor.

He paused briefly at the foot of the stairs and cocked his head, somewhere far away, deep in his mind a voice was screaming. He dismissed it and headed up.

_I'll show them a monster!_

At the top of the stairs Hisoka stopped and looked around, there was no one, and he slipped through the door and headed for the main foyer.

Along one wall hung a number of ornamental katanas. Each one was an antique work of steel and art. Each one was perfectly preserved, and perfectly honed.

From the wall he pulled down a katana that was a bit shorter than the others, a better fit for his small frame.

Silently Hisoka moved though the hallways, looking for the people he least wanted to see.

"Tousan,...Okaasan…"

**XXX**

Muraki swayed and steadied himself by placing a hand on Tsuzuki's shoulder. Teleporting was definitely not his favourite means of transportation.

"Where are we?"

Tsuzuki looked back at him over his shoulder and shrugged off his hand. "Kamakura. Just outside the village."

Muraki nodded and felt again for the presence of the youth, it was stronger now, he was close. Muraki began to follow it, setting a brisk pace away from the village.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Tsuzuki hurried to catch up.

"After the bouya, that's what we're here for, ne?"

"You know where he is?"

Muraki paused and looked back, raising an eyebrow. "Of course."

Tsuzuki winced, remembering the curse carved into Hisoka's skin. "Of course." He echoed, following the doctor up the road.

They both came to a stop at the front gates of a huge manor.

Mild surprise showed on Muraki's face, Tsuzuki looked unimpressed.

"Somehow the bouya didn't give the impression of being a spoiled rich kid." Muraki said lightly taking the obvious wealth of the building and surrounding grounds.

A bitter smile touched Tsuzuki's lips. "No he wouldn't."

Muraki nodded and pushed through the gates. "He's inside."

Tsuzuki nodded again and moved past Muraki to the doors. "We have to find him before he has a chance to do something stupid."

"Like what?"

"Like kill his parents, maybe. We don't know how far he'll go under the influence of that shadow thing, but he hurt Tatsumi, he never would have done that if he were himself."

Tsuzuki pushed against the wide double door.

Locked.

Tsuzuki scowled at the doors. The doors ignored him.

"Why don't you knock?" Muraki asked.

Tsuzuki sighed. "I don't really want to announce my presence here, I'd rather find Hisoka and get him out of here before his parents see him, and it would be kind of hard to explain how their son came to be here after being dead for four years."

Muraki stepped up to the doors. "Alright, I'll knock. You can look around while I provide a distraction."

Tsuzuki considered for a moment, then nodded and faded from sight.

Muraki raised his fist and rapped smartly on the door. After a few minutes with no response he knocked again.

He was beginning to think that no one was going to answer the door when he finally heard a noise on the far side. The door was slowly pulled open to reveal a young woman in a simple outfit.

"Hello, could I speak to the master of the house?" Muraki asked.

"Of course." The young woman bowed to him and led him into the front entrance. "Please excuse me." She said as she left.

"If you see Hisoka," Tsuzuki's voice sounded at his ear, "Get him out of here. Don't let him hurt anyone."

"If he hates his parents so much, perhaps you should let the bouya have his retribution?"

"No!" Muraki could hear the sudden fear in Tsuzuki's voice. "If a shinigami claims a soul that is not meant to die, he'd forfeit his position as a shinigami and be sent on into real death."

Muraki's eyes widened in sudden understanding of the seriousness of the situation.

"Besides, Hisoka is not a killer. I think that if he succeeded in something like this it would tear him apart."

Muraki nodded. From what he knew of the youth, he agreed with that assessment.

The sound of approaching footsteps hushed Tsuzuki's voice, and Muraki felt the air stir beside him as Tsuzuki left his side.

A tall man swept into the room and Muraki covered his surprise at his resemblance to the bouya. Slightly longer blonde hair fell forward to cover equally brilliant green eyes. The man came to a stop before Muraki.

"Muraki Sensei. I didn't think I'd see you again."


	19. Chapter 19

Warnings: shortness, a very OOC Hisoka, and of course, a cliffhanger.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 18**

"_Muraki Sensei. I didn't think I'd see you again."_

Tsuzuki had almost made it out of the entrance way when those words made him turn back. He looked at the two men who faced each other, the pale man with silver hair and silver-blue eyes, and the other man who looked like an older replica of his partner.

Hisoka's father knew Muraki?

To his credit, Muraki didn't miss a beat. "Konnichi wa, Kurosaki-san." Muraki bowed to the other man slightly. "I am looking for a runaway patient who bears a striking resemblance to your late son."

"I see." Kurosaki Nagare said. "So why would you seek him here?"

"The bouya I am seeking suffers from delusions. If he passed through the village, it's possible that someone would have said something that would have sent him this way, as I said, the resemblance is striking."

"Of course." A slightly condescending smile touched Nagare's lips. "The superstitious people in the village would probably be screaming about the dead come back to life." He sighed. "That would be most unfortunate. Very well, I assume you wish to search for this patient of yours Sensei?"

"If it won't inconvenience you Kurosaki-san. The bouya also suffers from violent tendencies and it is not safe to let him roam about unchecked. Perhaps it would be wise to warn your staff of the bouya's possible presence, that way they won't be shocked should they encounter him."

Nagare nodded. "I will do that. You have my leave to make your search Sensei, I believe you know your way around. If you need anything, please feel free to ask any of the servants."

Tsuzuki's mouth hung open in shock. In one fell swoop Muraki had gained permission to search for Hisoka and made sure that if his partner was spotted, the elder Kurosaki wouldn't believe that he was his son. Now they just needed to find the boy himself.

As if on cue a small noise drew Tsuzuki's attention and he noticed a movement across the hall.

_Hisoka!_

The youth was swaying on his feet, his head clenched in his hands. Silently Tsuzuki began to make his way to his partner.

A quick glance showed him that Muraki and Hisoka's father hadn't noticed the noise or the young man's presence, still in conversation.

Hisoka looked up and Tsuzuki found empty green eyes meeting his gaze. He paused momentarily, and then hurried forward.

Before he could reach the emerald eyed youth, he had slipped back into the shadows and was gone.

Tsuzuki followed.

**XXX**

The sound of voices drew Hisoka back to the main entrance. The katana gripped tightly in his hand, he rounded the last corner and stopped in his tracks.

He had not expected to see the three men standing there.

His father he expected and he had to suppress the urge to charge the man, katana drawn and ready to strike, with the other two men present he knew he would never make it.

Hisoka's eyes drifted over Kazutaka, the oppressive, negative emotions within him swelled and surged at the sight of the man, but the driving rage and icy determination didn't drive him to attack.

Finally his eyes drifted over to the third man, farthest away, across the entrance way, and he found himself looking into familiar amethyst eyes.

_What am I doing!_

Hisoka stumbled back, dropping the katana. Closing his eyes he gripped his head in his hands. That part of him that had been screaming earlier now just wanted to curl up and die, waves of shame, despair and misery washed over him only to be buried once again under the stronger emotions…

(hateragepaindesireangerhaterevengefearbitternessrage)

That icy calm descended over him again and he scooped up the katana before he looked up.

Only to find that those amethyst eyes had spotted him and the man was quickly making his way towards him.

Hisoka retreated into deeper into the manor.

**XXX**

Muraki watched as Nagare left the entrance hall, and slowly turned towards where the bouya had stood. He had known the moment the boy had come near the hall and it had taken a great effort not to react. Now he pondered his choices. He had felt the stirring of air as Tsuzuki had passed him and knew that the violet eyed man was following the bouya, he could do the same, or he could follow Nagare and wait for Hisoka to come to him.

But Tsuzuki had said that it would be better to avoid a confrontation between the bouya and his parents.

Reaching out to feel the familiar presence, Muraki headed off down the hallway that Tsuzuki had taken only moments before.

**XXX**

"Hisoka!" Tsuzuki hissed softly looking around desperately for the younger man.

"Go away Tsuzuki."

Tsuzuki whirled around to face the owner of the soft voice.

Hisoka stood a few feet behind him, standing with his arms at his side, one hand tightly holding the hilt of a wickedly sharp looking sword.

"Hisoka, we have to go now." Tsuzuki took a step towards the younger shinigami, only to find himself held off by the tip of the sword that was now pointed at him. "Hisoka?"

"I am not leaving." Hisoka took a step back, still holding the katana out threateningly before him. "I have not finished here, and I'm not leaving until I do."

"Hisoka?"

The tip of the katana slowly lowered and pain flashed across Hisoka's features. "Tsuzuki please, I…"

Tsuzuki reached out and Hisoka took another step back.

"I…can't…"

The sword was raised once again into a ready position, and Hisoka's eyes went blank. "No one is going to get in my way, not even you."

Tsuzuki met the blank green eyes with determination. "I'm not leaving without you."

Rage flashed through the normally impassive jade eyes as Hisoka took a step forward, and Tsuzuki found himself retreating back as Hisoka advanced with the katana held high…

**XXX**

Muraki watched the confrontation between Tsuzuki and Hisoka. He watched as the youth fought against the emotions controlling him, and lost.

He watched as Hisoka advanced on his partner, and he knew in that moment that he had to act.

Slipping in behind the boy, he caught him around the waist, one arm reaching up to catch the wrist of the hand that held the katana.

As his skin brushed the boys' skin there was a surge of emotions. There was a feeling of pressure against his mind, and waves of anger, hatred and bitterness threatened to break over him…_No! I don't want_…

The slender figure in his arms began to scream.

The katana clattered to the floor where it lay forgotten.

_It hurt!_

Two minds shared the same thought.

_Make it stop!_

_I don't want…_

Suddenly there were other arms there, other hands separating them.

And then there was only darkness.


	20. Chapter 20

Warnings: Um, angst? All over the place? Another cliffy? And whatever else I can stick in there!

**Chapter 19**

Tsuzuki watched in shock as Muraki stopped Hisoka's advance on him. One arm around his partners' waist, the other hand grabbed his wrist…

And Hisoka started to scream as the sword fell from his suddenly slack hand.

Tsuzuki rushed forward to help his partner only to stop short when Muraki cried out as well.

The sound of fast approaching footsteps propelled Tsuzuki back into action, he reached out and grabbled Hisoka, pulling the younger shinigami towards him, Muraki followed, still hanging onto Hisoka's wrist, he seemed unwilling or unable to let go.

Tsuzuki grabbed Muraki's hand and pried it away from his partner's arm. The moment the contact was lost, both Muraki and Hisoka collapsed.

Tsuzuki spared a glance over his shoulder, the footsteps were closer now, and moving faster. Tsuzuki grasped two unconscious figures and transported them to the only place he could think of…

Back to Meifu…

**XXX**

Watari looked into irritated sapphire eyes and grinned. "Well, you should probably stay in bed for another day at least, and you'll be sore for a while, you took a hell of a pounding, but you seem to be doing alright."

"In the meantime, I'm sure nothing is getting done." Tatsumi sighed. "I can just imagine the pile of paperwork that will be waiting for me if I spend another day in here."

"You can quit imaging, 'cause you're staying put." Watari gave the other man a mock glare. "Doctors orders!"

Tatsumi snorted.

"Don't you think it would be better if…"

"Watari!"

The blonde turned around at the sound of his name being called.

"Tsuzuki?" Tatsumi called out.

The violet eyed man stopped in the door of the infirmary. "I've got Hisoka, and Muraki, They're both out cold."

Watari immediately headed for the door, sending a very real glare over his shoulder at Tatsumi. "Stay!"

Tatsumi glared back and relaxed back into the bed as if he hadn't been about to jump out of it.

"Where are they?" Watari asked, following Tsuzuki down the hallway.

"In our office." Tsuzuki shrugged. "I was in a hurry and I guess I wasn't concentrating properly."

"Are they alright?"

"I don't know." Worry and fear coloured Tsuzuki's voice. "They were both screaming."

They reached the office that Tsuzuki and Hisoka shared and the two men rushed inside. Watari knelt by the two unconscious forms as Tsuzuki stood back out of the way.

"I don't see anything wrong with either of them, exactly what happened Tsuzuki?"

"Hisoka charged me with a sword. Muraki stopped him, but when he touched him, they both started screaming. When I pulled them apart, they just collapsed!"

Watari looked up at Tsuzuki, his amber eyes wide with shock. "Bon attacked you?"

Tsuzuki flinched and looked away.

Watari stared at him for another moment before turning his attention back to the two men on the floor. "C'mon, let's get them to the infirmary. We won't know what's happened 'til they wake up." Watari hefted Muraki up. "Ugh, he's heavy!"

Tsuzuki moved forward and lifted Hisoka's slight weight into his arms. "Two." He counted sadly.

"Two what?" Watari asked, as he lead them back the way they'd come.

"Two times in two days I've carried him to bed now."

Watari flashed back a small smile. "We won't tell him that."

A small smile touched Tsuzuki's own lips. "I might, just to see him blush."

Watari laughed. "He'd probably yell 'Baka' and throw something at you."

Tsuzuki squeezed the small frame tighter to him. "It's worth it."

Following Watari into the infirmary, Tsuzuki watched as he manoeuvred the pale man into a bed at the far side of the room. He then chose a bed for Hisoka, closer to Tatsumi, away from Muraki.

"Well, is he alright?"

Tsuzuki looked up to find Tatsumi regarding him steadily.

"Watari says we won't know until they wake up."

Tatsumi looked across the room to where Watari was removing the doctor's jacket. "Did he go after Muraki then?"

"No." Tsuzuki said softly. "He went after his parents."

Tatsumi looked back at the empath, considering. "I suppose he had reason."

Tsuzuki nodded. "What Muraki did to him was horrible, but it was something that was done to him by a stranger. How much worse must it be to be locked up and hated by the people who should love you the most?"

**XXX**

Hisoka blinked and moaned softly. If someone took him out and ran him over with a tank a few times, he may actually feel better than he did now. As he waited for his vision to clear, he idly wondered if the sadistic little man doing the tap dance in his head with a jack hammer had any intention of stopping soon.

Very slowly he raised himself into a sitting position, placing a hand to his head to keep it from splitting open.

_Oh Enma! What did I do!_

Emerald green eyes widened with horror as Hisoka remembered…

Everything…

Burying his face in his hands, he drew up his knees and curled into a ball in the center of the bed. Shame and guilt washed over him and tears that he couldn't suppress began to run down his cheeks

_I hurt…Tsuzuki…Tatsumi…I'm sorry…_

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Suruptiously, Hisoka tried to wipe away the tears before he turned to face the owner of that soft voice.

Tatsumi was laying half reclined in his bed, leaning against the headboard, looking at him in concern.

Hisoka levered himself over the side of his own bed and made his way over to the older man, keeping his head bowed. "Tatsumi-san, I…"

A gentle finger moved under his chin and lifted his head until emerald green met sapphire blue. "It's alright Kurosaki-kun, we understand."

Hisoka dropped to his knees beside the bed and laid his head in the older man's lap. He closed his eyes trying to contain the flood that wanted to escape him. A soft sob tore itself from his throat and tears slowly leaked from beneath his closed lids. "I'm sorry."

Tatsumi had raised his hands in uncertainty, but at the boy's whispered apology, he brought one hand down to rest on the blonde hair. "You have nothing to be sorry for Kurosaki-kun." He lightly stroked over the soft strands.

Tatsumi looked over at the bed on the far side of Hisoka's, were Tsuzuki had laid down to get some rest. Amethyst eyes were open and sparkling with their own unshed tears as he met Tatsumi's gaze.

**XXX**

_The sound of rubber screeching on pavement was the first indication of the danger he was in._

_He saw it coming before it hit._

_He threw up his arms to protect his face._

_Shattered glass flew around him._

_There was a roar, and his world was spinning, Metal crushing in towards him, crushing him._

_Red…_

_Black…_

_Bitter laughter filled his mind even as cries of pain filled his ears._

_Flashing lights…_

And silver blue eyes opened slowly.

_Where am I?_

The bright light seared his eyes and doubled the painful pounding in his skull.

Confused images jumbled together in his mind.

_I don't want…_

Darkness blurred the edges of his vision, and mercifully claimed him again.

**XXX**

"So how are you feeling?" Watari asked. Seated on the edged of the bed he offered a warm smile to the youngest shinigami, who looked back impassively.

"Better." Hisoka said blandly.

"But?" Watari raised an eyebrow in question.

"I feel numb." Hisoka looked up at the older blonde. "Not physically, I just, can't really feel you, even if I try. I'm only getting the vaguest sense of Mr. Guilt-trip here." He gestured to Tsuzuki who was sitting on the other side of the bed. "It's like my empathy has gone dead."

Watari nodded. "Try not to worry about it bon. You absorbed a large mass of negative emotions and probably pushed your ability to its limits. You should be fine after a few days of rest, in the meantime, try to enjoy it, the emotions you feel for the next little while are only your own!"

Hisoka groaned and buried his head under his pillow.

The mattress bounced as Watari got to his feet. "I'll be back in a little bit with lunch, everybody behave yourselves now!"

There was a snort from Tatsumi's general direction.

"Tsuzuki?"

Tsuzuki turned back to the muffled voice from beneath the pillow. "What is it Hisoka?" Gently he began to rub his partners' back.

Green eyes peeked out at him from under the pillow. "I wanted to say I didn't, I mean I'm sorry that I couldn't…"

"Its okay 'Soka, if anything, I should be the one apologizing, If I'd been faster..."

"Stop it." Hisoka pushed the pillow aside and glared up into guilt-ridden violet eyes. "There was nothing you could have done, I made the decision and it was my own fault."

"What do you mean you made the decision?"

Hisoka sighed. "When my barrier broke I had only two options, I could have let that thing invade Kazutaka, or I could take it into myself, I chose the latter. But I didn't realize that that build up of emotions would affect me the way they did. I should have been able to dispel them, but they overrode my senses and I…" He trailed off gesturing helplessly. "I'm sorry Tsuzuki." H finished miserably, his head dropping.

Without a thought, Tsuzuki reached out and pulled the younger shinigami into his arms and held him tight. "Don't be sorry." He whispered into the blonde hair. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Hisoka jerked his head back to meet his partner's eyes. "But I…"

Tsuzuki placed a finger against his lips, cutting him off. "You were influenced by something you couldn't control, it wasn't your fault."

Hisoka ducked his head back down, feeling the familiar prickling behind his eyes. This time he managed to hold himself in check. After a few minutes, he allowed himself to relax into Tsuzuki's embrace, his own guilt wracked thoughts running through his mind.

_I should have been able to control it._

**XXX**

Awareness hit him with all the force of a thunderclap and Muraki Kazutaka opened his eyes to the world around him.

It consisted of bright lights and white walls, clean sheets and a blonde head that popped into his vision. Amber eyes studied him from behind wire rimmed glasses. For the briefest moment he floundered for a name before remembering that this man had introduced himself in the hotel room. "Watari-san?"

Watari looked down at the pale doctor. "How are you feeling?"

"Aside from the massive headache I seem to be doing quite well." He met the blondes gaze evenly. "How's the bouya?"

A genki smile lit up the blonde's face and relief shone deep in the amber eyes. "Bon's fine, just a little tired. Hold on, I'll get you some aspirin."

The blonde turned away and left his bedside.

Muraki Kazutaka allowed a small condescending smirk to touch his lips…


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 20**

He remembered everything.

He remembered his first meeting with his doll under the blood red moon.

He remembered when he first encountered the man who had become his obsession, since he had found his grandfathers' records, and of course, the picture.

He remembered the accident that had lead to these strange and unexpected circumstances.

And he remembered everything that had happened in the last week.

Everything…

_What did they expect?_ He thought as he watched Watari coming back to his bed carrying a bottle of pills and a glass of water. _That I'd regain my memory, grow fangs and start attacking anything that moved?_

He accepted the water and pills with a nod and a smile of thanks. _I know how to play the game better than that._

Swallowing the pills, he settled back into the bed. _And if I play the game well, I can have everything I want before anyone is the wiser._

As his eyes drifted closed, a last unsettling thought ran through his mind. _So what do I want?_

**XXX**

Tsuzuki watched through narrowed eyes from his perch on the edge of Hisoka's bed as Muraki accepted the pills from Watari. The doctors' presence in Meifu didn't really sit well with him, and he was hoping the man would recover quickly and return to Chijou.

Somehow it just seemed so wrong that Muraki Kazutaka was a welcome visitor in the realm of the dead, and it had been Tsuzuki himself who had brought him.

Looking over Tsuzuki could see that he was not the only one who was discomforted by Muraki's presence. Tatsumi's icy blue eyes closely observed the exchange between Watari and Muraki, distaste evident on his normally stoic features.

As Muraki feel back to sleep, Watari made his way across the room to his co-workers. "How's bon doing?' He asked quietly as he got closer.

Tsuzuki looked down at the sleeping face of his partner and continued to gently stroke the younger man's back. "He's fine, tired but okay."

"Watari-san?"

Watari's head whipped around as he turned to face the shadow master.

"How long is that man going to be here?"

Watari shrugged. "Well, it's not like there's anything physically wrong with him, He's just exhausted like bon is. I imagine that they'll both probably be out of it for a while."

"I don't trust him." Tatsumi stated.

Watari frowned slightly. "He seemed okay. He asked how bon was and he seemed to be really concerned."

Tsuzuki frowned in turn and unconsciously leaned closer to Hisoka in a protective gesture

"We should take him back to Chijou as soon as possible." Tatsumi's eyes hardened as he glanced over at the now sleeping man. "Mibu-san will undoubtedly be waiting for him."

Watari nodded. "When he wakes up again we'll see about sending him back."

**XXX**

Muraki blinked as he came awake again. The pounding in his head had diminished to a bearable level, and he felt much better now than he had at his previous waking.

He looked in the direction that the blonde scientist had headed in as he had fallen asleep. Against the far wall there was a row of beds, and in the third to last one he recognized the secretary of the Shokan sleeping peacefully, Tsuzuki lay sprawled across the last bed in the row, snoring slightly. But the bed in between them was empty, the sheets slightly rumbled.

"Kazutaka?"

Muraki turned his head to the slender form perched on the edge of his bed, regarding him intently and he found himself looking into a pair of deep jade eyes. He was surprised, even with his memories of the last week, he still expected the boy to react to him as he'd always done, with anger and fear…

"_I'm just having a hard time thinking of you as Muraki, you're not the same." _

"_Is that a bad thing?"_

"_Hardly, I like you much better this way." _

"_So I don't seem like Muraki to you. Very well, then just call me Kazutaka."_

"Hisoka-kun, are you all right?" Reaching up a hand he brushed the fall of blonde hair aside and studied those eyes in turn. His doll looked mildly startled, but allowed the contact. He had seen anger, hate, fear and pain in those green depths, but now he could see something else reflected there…

"_I did this, didn't I?"_

"_I'm sorry."_

Hope.

"_Is the bouya that important to you?" _

"_Yes, he is that important to me."_

"_Why?"_

"_When I picked him up, it felt right. He was mine, and I'm going to keep him."_

He made up his mind. He was going to reclaim what was his.

Hisoka swayed slightly, and Muraki caught his arm and held him upright. "Bouya?"

"I'm alright, I'm just tired and…"

"Something's wrong with your abilities."

Hisoka looked up at him. "How did you know?"

Muraki allowed a small smile to touch his lips. "Because, bouya, every time you wake up, the first thing you do is to feel for my mind."

Hisoka's gaze slid away from the silver blue one, looking guilty.

"But I haven't felt you do that yet, so I would assume that something has happened."

Hisoka nodded. "My empathy's not working, Watari-san says that I probably just over-taxed it and I'll be fine in a few days."

This time Muraki hid his smile, it was amusing how fate seemed to be on his side. "That must be troubling for you."

A deep sigh answered his statement. "I never thought I'd miss being an empath." Hisoka moved to rise, but Muraki caught him by the hand and gently pulled him back down.

"What time is it bouya?"

"A little after six. You should probably get some more sleep, and then we'll take you back to Chijou."

"Aa. Does that mean you're going to take me home?" Muraki was surprised again to see amusement flash in those emerald depths, and even more surprised to find that some part of him was pleased to see it there.

"I'll take you back to Oriya-san's place anyways."

Muraki finally released the smaller hand from his grip and Hisoka stood up.

"I'll hold you to that bouya."

**XXX**

"No."

"Tsuzuki…"

Tsuzuki's features were set, his normally warm violet eyes as hard as stone. "No way, absolutely not!"

Hisoka glared daggers at his partner. "I'm just going to take him to the Kokakuro, and then I'll be right back."

"Forget it." Tsuzuki glared at the pale doctor who stood a little ways behind his partner, silently observing. "Tatsumi and Watari can take him back."

Hisoka was already shaking his head. "No, Tatsumi shouldn't be up yet, he's still hurting, and don't deny it Tatsumi-san." Hisoka turned towards his superior. "I don't need empathy to see that it hurts you to move around too much."

Tatsumi closed his mouth on the denial he'd been about to make.

Hisoka turned back to Tsuzuki "And if you'd been awake an hour ago, you'd know that Kanoe sent Watari to Chijou a while ago to deal with a small problem that popped up in Osaka."

"I don't want you to go." Tsuzuki stated, frowning. "What if he won't give you back?"

Hisoka's eyes widened. "What?"

"When we were at Shion Univerity, the ruins there, he wouldn't give you back to me."

"Tsuzuki…"

Tsuzuki looked up, his violet eyes clearly showing the worry he felt.

Hisoka threw his arms around the man's neck. "Baka. This is where I chose to be, with you, and I will always come back to you, got that? Always, 'cause this is where I belong."

Tsuzuki wrapped his arms around Hisoka's waist and held him tightly until Hisoka pulled away.

"So I will take Kazutaka to Chijou and then I'll be back."

Tsuzuki sighed, relenting. "Alright."

"Don't worry Tsuzuki, I'll bring you back something."

Tsuzuki brightened slightly at that. "Something good right?"

Hisoka's lips twitched. "Aa. Something good." He turned to Muraki. "Are you ready?"

Muraki nodded.

Tsuzuki watched as Hisoka reached out and took Muraki's hand and he saw the victorious smile that appeared on Muraki's face just before he and Hisoka vanished.

"Hisoka…"

………………………………...

So this is the end of Kazutaka.

Thanks to everybody who read and everybody who reviewed. The reviews I received actually changed the direction of this story several times.

The story is not over, but the part about Kazutaka is, so there will be a sequel, and I hope everyone will watch for it!

Arigato!


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